Category: Africa
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MIL-OSI USA: Remarks in Kyiv by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom (As Delivered)
Source: United States Department of Defense
Well, good afternoon.
Thanks for welcoming me back to Kyiv, and to this proud academy.
Director Nadolenko, I’m very grateful for those generous words.
And speaking of outstanding diplomats: All Americans should be proud of our tireless and fearless ambassador, Bridget Brink. Ambassador, thanks for doing tremendous work.
[Applause]
Let me also thank my good friend, Minister Umerov. Rustem, thanks for that very kind introduction and for your tremendous service to your country.
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s a great honor to be here with you today.
I’d like to talk today about Ukraine’s just war of self-defense, and the road ahead.
And I’d like to start by echoing the words of President Kennedy in his historic 1963 speech in Berlin.
There are some who say that they don’t understand — or say they don’t understand — what is at stake between the free world and an aggressive tyrant like Putin.
And I say to them: Let them come to Kyiv.
There are some who say that both sides are to blame for Putin’s war of aggression.
Let them come to Kyiv.
There are some who blur the lines between aggressor and victim.
Let them come to Kyiv.
There are some who deny that the Kremlin targets Ukrainian civilians.
Let them come to Kyiv.
There are some who say that Ukraine isn’t a real nation.
Let them come to Kyiv.
And finally, there are some who claim that Ukraine lacks the courage to prevail.
Let them come to Kyiv.
Ladies and gentlemen, let us never forget how this war began.
For years, Putin had harassed and assaulted the independent nation-state of Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, Putin crossed the line into an all-out invasion. And the Kremlin started the largest war in Europe since World War II.
Now, Putin’s war of choice poses fundamental questions to every government and every person who seeks a decent and secure world.
And so I ask today: Do rules matter?
Do rights matter?
Does sovereignty matter?
I believe that they do.
President Biden believes that they do.
And every free citizen of Ukraine believes that they do.
When the largest military in Europe becomes a force of aggression, the whole continent feels the shock.
When a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council tries to deny self-rule to more than 40 million people, the whole world feels the blow.
And when a dictator puts his imperial fantasies ahead of the rights of a free people, the whole international system feels the outrage.
And so that’s why nations of goodwill from every corner of the planet have seen and have risen to Ukraine’s defense. And that’s why the United States and our allies and partners have proudly become the arsenal of Ukrainian democracy.
America’s values call us to stand by a peaceful democracy fighting for its life. And America’s security demands that we stand up to Putin’s aggression.
America’s security demands that we stand up to Putin’s aggression.
Ukraine matters to U.S. security for four blunt reasons.
Putin’s war threatens European security.
Putin’s war challenges our NATO allies.
Putin’s war attacks our shared values.
And Putin’s war is a frontal assault on the rules-based international order that keeps us all safe.
Now, this invasion hasn’t gone the way that the Kremlin planned. After 970 days of war, Putin has not achieved one single strategic objective.
Not one.
President Zelenskyy didn’t flee. Kyiv didn’t fall. And Ukraine didn’t fold.
Instead, Russia has paid a staggering price for Putin’s imperial folly.
Russian forces have suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties since February 2022. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Russian losses in just the first year of Putin’s war were more than Moscow’s losses in all of its conflicts since World War II—combined.
And Russia has had to dig so deep into its Soviet stockpiles that it’s attacking Ukraine with tanks from the time of World War II.
And Russia has squandered more than 200 billion dollars to sustain its invasion. And Russia has given up untold billions of dollars more in previously anticipated economic growth.
Now, Ukraine has suffered terribly at Putin’s hands.
Since February 2022, according to the U.N., Russian forces have killed more than 11,000 Ukrainian civilians in verified civilian casualty incidents. And that includes more than 600 children.
The U.N. says that Putin’s forces have bombed more than 250 Ukrainian schools and hospitals. And they’ve wrecked treasured sites of Ukrainian history, culture, and memory.
But the Kremlin’s malice has not broken Ukraine’s spirit. Ukraine stands unbowed — and strengthened.
You know, your fight began with soldiers setting tank ambushes on the streets of Kyiv, and with ordinary citizens making Molotov cocktails to defend their homes.
And it continues today with a battle-tested Ukrainian military and security forces — and a roaring Ukrainian defense industrial base.
Ukrainian factories are now pumping out some of the best UAVs in the world, and experienced Ukrainian air defenders are protecting their forces and their families.
And your soldiers have shown incredible skill. Your frontline defenders have shown heroic resolve. And your citizens have shown stunning courage.
Ukraine’s resistance is powered by the emergency workers who rush to the scene; and by the energy workers who race to fix the damage of the Kremlin’s attacks; by the doctors who risk their own lives to save the wounded; by the nurses who provide comfort in hours of anguish; and by the clergy who tend to suffering souls; by the teachers who keep Ukraine’s schools open; and by the parents and grandparents who fight every day to keep their children safe and give them a future of peace.
So your admirers around the world are studying the Ukrainian way of resistance. And we strongly encourage the reforms that Ukraine has launched to help realize its people’s hopes of joining the European Union and NATO.
Ukraine’s defenders have brought inspiration to the world — and glory to Ukraine.
Slava Ukraini!
[Audience responds in Ukrainian]
Yet this struggle imposes obligations on us all. As President Biden told the U.N. General Assembly in September, “Our test is to make sure that the forces holding us together are stronger than the forces that are pulling us apart.”
And make no mistake. The outcome of Ukraine’s fight for freedom will help set the trajectory for global security in the 21st century.
Europe’s future is on the line.
NATO’s strength is on the line.
And America’s security is on the line.
So the U.S. government has moved with urgency and purpose. And we’ve seen the huge progress that principled diplomacy can produce —the kind of diplomacy taught right here in this academy.
Since April 2022, I have been convening the Ukraine Defense Contact Group — the coalition of some 50 countries from around the world determined to help Ukraine fight Putin’s aggression. The Contact Group has met 24 times now.
And I know that Minister Umerov and my other Ukrainian friends often refer to the Contact Group as “the Ramstein format”— after Ramstein Air Base, where the Contact Group was forged.
And each time that I’m back at Ramstein, I find it moving to look around that long table; to see in human form the global indignation over Putin’s crimes; and to see determined defense leaders from around the world — from Argentina to Australia, and from Tunisia to Türkiye.
And it has worked.
America’s allies and partners are sharing the burden of our shared security.
And that’s the power of Ramstein.
You know, as a percentage of GDP, a dozen U.S. allies and partners now provide more security assistance to Ukraine than the United States does. And members of the Contact Group have provided more than [51] billion dollars in direct security assistance to Ukraine.
And I am proud to remind you that the United States is doing our part as well.
My country has committed more than 58 billion dollars in security assistance for Ukraine since February 2022. We’ve delivered two Patriot batteries and dozens of other air-defense systems. We’ve provided 24 HIMARS [rocket] systems, and thousands of armored vehicles and drones, and millions of rounds of artillery and other critical munitions.
Now, that is a very real financial commitment. But for anyone who thinks that American leadership is expensive — well, consider the price of American retreat.
In the face of aggression, the price of principle is always dwarfed by the cost of capitulation.
Our allies and partners know that. And I’ve been proud to watch the pro-Ukraine coalition dig deep.
So just consider Germany, host to Ramstein Air Base. Germany alone has provided or committed to military assistance for Ukraine valued at close to 31 billion dollars.
And through the Contact Group and its capability coalitions, Ukraine’s friends are now forging an unprecedented, coordinated, 13-country drive to increase industrial production, to meet Ukraine’s battlefield requirements, and to build up the force to deter and repel Russian aggression in the future.
And so, not since World War II has America systematically rallied so many countries to provide such a range of industrial and military assistance for a partner in need.
Now, there is no silver bullet. No single capability will turn the tide. No one system will end Putin’s assault.
What matters is the way that Ukraine fights back. What matters is the combined effects of your military capabilities. And what matters is staying focused on what works.
Now, I believe that President Biden and Vice President Harris will have a proud place in history for rallying the world to defend Ukraine.
So will the allies and partners who seek a free Ukraine in a safer world.
But the proudest place of all will go to the Ukrainian people.
From President Zelenskyy on down, your leaders chose to fight back. And the people of Ukraine have met Russia’s aggression and atrocities with magnificent defiance.
The spirit of Ukraine has inspired the world. And it has reminded us all to never take our freedom for granted.
So we refuse to blame Ukraine for the Kremlin’s aggression.
We refuse to offer excuses for Putin’s atrocities.
And we refuse to pretend that appeasement will stop an invasion.
We fully understand the moral chasm between aggressor and defender.
And we will not be gulled by the frauds and the falsehoods of the Kremlin’s apologists.
And we will continue to defend the Ukrainian people’s right to live in security and freedom.
The Kremlin has forced us into an age where Europe’s largest military invades Europe’s second-largest country. And we dare not believe, as the novelist George Eliot once wrote, that “the giant forces that used to shake the earth are forever laid to sleep.”
America’s goals remain clear, achievable, and principled. We seek a free and sovereign Ukraine that can defend itself from Russian aggression today — and deter Russian aggression in the future.
We seek a more secure Europe — and a reinforced commitment from nations of goodwill worldwide to an open international system of rules, rights, and responsibilities.
I know that the Kremlin’s war is a nightmare from which the Ukrainian people are trying to awake. But we should all understand that Putin’s assault is a warning. It is a sneak preview of a world built by tyrants and thugs — a chaotic, violent world carved into spheres of influence; a world where bullies trample their smaller neighbors; and a world where aggressors force free people to live in fear.
So we face a hinge in history.
We can continue to insist that cross-border invasion is the cardinal sin of world politics. And we can continue to stand firm against Putin’s aggression.
Or we can let Putin have his way. And we can condemn our children and grandchildren to live in a far bloodier and more dangerous world.
So we must continue to face, to squarely face, the specter of an aggressive Russia — backed by other autocrats from North Korea and Iran.
If Ukraine falls under Putin’s boot, all of Europe will fall under Putin’s shadow.
Putin is not just hammering at the norms of the international system built at such a terrible cost by the Allies after World War II. He is shoving us all toward a world where right — where might makes right, and where empire trumps sovereignty. And he is determined to show that his brand of autocracy can outlast the world’s democracies.
You see, Putin does not just think that his will is stronger. He thinks that his system is better.
But he could not be more wrong.
You know, few forces are more powerful than a democracy fighting for freedom.
As I have said: Peace is not self-executing. Order does not preserve itself. And the principles of freedom, and sovereignty, and human rights do not uphold themselves.
Yes, there is a price to be paid for human freedom. But it is dwarfed by the price that we would all pay for letting aggression go unchecked.
So President Biden has chosen the path of mutual responsibility and common security. And we have chosen to share the responsibility of ensuring that Ukraine remains sovereign and free.
And make no mistake. The United States does not seek war with Russia. And even as Putin makes profoundly reckless and dangerous threats about nuclear war, we will continue to behave with the responsibility that the world rightly demands of a nuclear-armed state.
So the United States will uphold our sworn NATO obligations.
The United States will defend every inch of NATO territory.
And the United States will get Ukraine what it needs to fight for its survival and security.
[Applause]
Ladies and gentlemen, let’s be clear.
Ukraine does not belong to Putin.
Ukraine belongs to the Ukrainian people.
And Moscow will never prevail in Ukraine.
You know, Putin thought that Ukraine would surrender. He was wrong.
Putin thought that our democracies would cave. He was wrong.
And Putin thought that the free world would cower. He was wrong.
And Putin thinks that he will win. He is wrong.
And as I said in Halifax almost two years ago: free people will always refuse to replace an open order of rules and rights with one dictated by force and fear.
Now, Ukraine faces complex challenges in the days to come.
And as then-Vice President Biden said at this academy in 2014, “Democracy is not a destination. Democracy is a road traveled. And it’s a hard damn road to travel.”
But you have shown the world the moral power of a free people fighting to defend their country.
That force can bend the arc of history.
Ladies and gentlemen: never underestimate the strategic advantage of a just cause.
Never underestimate the resolve of free citizens.
And never underestimate the power of a democracy summoned to defend itself.
Ukraine has chosen the course of courage.
And so have we.
My friends, you walk a hard road.
But you do not walk it alone.
Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless all who fight to defend freedom.
[Standing ovation]
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MIL-OSI Security: Two Sudanese Nationals Indicted for Alleged Role in Anonymous Sudan Cyberattacks on Hospitals, Government Facilities, and Other Critical Infrastructure in Los Angeles and Around the World
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury indictment unsealed today charges two Sudanese nationals with operating and controlling Anonymous Sudan, an online cybercriminal group responsible for tens of thousands of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against critical infrastructure, corporate networks, and government agencies in the United States and around the world.
In March 2024, pursuant to court-authorized seizure warrants, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI seized and disabled Anonymous Sudan’s powerful DDoS tool, which the group allegedly used to perform DDoS attacks, and sold as a service to other criminal actors.
Ahmed Salah Yousif Omer, 22, and Alaa Salah Yusuuf Omer, 27, were both charged with one count of conspiracy to damage protected computers. Ahmed Salah was also charged with three counts of damaging protected computers.
“Anonymous Sudan sought to maximize havoc and destruction against governments and businesses around the world by perpetrating tens of thousands of cyberattacks,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “This group’s attacks were callous and brazen—the defendants went so far as to attack hospitals providing emergency and urgent care to patients. My office is committed to safeguarding our nation’s infrastructure and the people who use it, and we will hold cyber criminals accountable for the grave harm they cause.”
“The FBI’s seizure of this powerful DDoS tool successfully disabled the attack platform that caused widespread damage and disruptions to critical infrastructure and networks around the world,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “With the FBI’s mix of unique authorities, capabilities, and partnerships, there is no limit to our reach when it comes to combating all forms of cybercrime and defending global cybersecurity.”
“These charges and the results of this investigation, made possible through law enforcement and private sector partnerships, have an immeasurable impact on the security of networks in the U.S. and of its allies, and demonstrates the resolve of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) to safeguard the Department of Defense from evolving cyber threats,” said Kenneth A. DeChellis, DCIS Cyber Field Office, Special Agent in Charge. “Cybercriminals need to understand that if they target America’s warfighters, they will face consequences.”
According to the indictment and a criminal complaint also unsealed today, since early 2023, the Anonymous Sudan actors and their customers have used the group’s Distributed Cloud Attack Tool (DCAT) to conduct destructive DDoS attacks and publicly claim credit for them. In approximately one year of operation, Anonymous Sudan’s DDoS tool was used to launch over 35,000 DDoS attacks, including at least 70 targeting computers in the greater Los Angeles area.
Victims of the attacks include sensitive government and critical infrastructure targets within the United States and around the world, including the Department of Justice, the Department of Defense, the FBI, the State Department, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and government websites for the state of Alabama. Victims also included major U.S. technology platforms, including Microsoft Corp. and Riot Games Inc., and network service providers. The attacks resulted in reported network outages affecting thousands of customers.
Anonymous Sudan’s DDoS attacks, which at times lasted several days, caused damage to the victims’ websites and networks, often rendering them inaccessible or inoperable, resulting in significant damages. For example, Anonymous Sudan’s DDoS attacks shuttered the emergency department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, causing incoming patients to be redirected to other medical facilities for approximately eight hours. Anonymous Sudan’s attacks have caused more than $10 million in damages to U.S. victims.
The March 2024 disruption of Anonymous Sudan’s DCAT tool, called variously “Godzilla,” “Skynet,” and “InfraShutdown,” was accomplished through the court-authorized seizure of its key components. Specifically, the warrants authorized the seizures of computer servers that launched and controlled the DDoS attacks, computer servers that relayed attack commands to a broader network of attack computers, and accounts containing the source code for the DDoS tools used by Anonymous Sudan.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted of all charges, Ahmed Salah would face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison, and Alaa Salah would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
The investigation of Anonymous Sudan was conducted by the FBI’s Anchorage Field Office, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service Computer Investigations and Forensics Division.
Assistant United States Attorneys Cameron L. Schroeder and Aaron Frumkin of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section are prosecuting this case, with substantial assistance from Trial Attorney Greg Nicosia of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Schroeder and Frumkin, along with Assistant United States Attorney James Dochterman of the Asset Forfeiture Section, also obtained the seizure warrants for computer servers constituting Anonymous Sudan’s DCAT tool.
The DOJ Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI’s International Operations Division and Behavioral Analysis Unit, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska aided in this investigation.
These law enforcement actions were taken as part of Operation PowerOFF, an ongoing, coordinated effort among international law enforcement agencies aimed at dismantling criminal DDoS-for-hire infrastructure worldwide, and holding accountable the administrators and users of these illegal services. Akamai SIRT, Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare, Crowdstrike, DigitalOcean, Flashpoint, Google, Microsoft, PayPal, SpyCloud and other private sector entities provided assistance in this matter.
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MIL-OSI Europe: President Meloni’s telephone conversation with President Saied
Source: Government of Italy (English)
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22 Ottobre 2024
The President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni, had a telephone conversation today with the President of the Republic of Tunisia, Kais Saied.
The call took place after President Saied’s swearing-in ceremony yesterday for his new mandate to lead Tunisia, and provided an opportunity to reaffirm the common desire to strengthen the partnership between Rome and Tunis as well as the one with the European Union.
In this context, the two leaders discussed the concrete projects defined within the framework of the Mattei Plan for Africa and cooperation on migration, confirming the shared intention to organise the second Rome Process conference in Tunisia next year.
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MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Joint donor statement on Humanitarian Access in Sudan by the UK, USAID, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland, Canada and the European Commissioner for Crisis Management
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The UK, alongside ten other donors, has issued a joint statement on humanitarian access in Sudan, calling on the warring parties to stop blocking aid from reaching those in need.
The people of Sudan are experiencing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. 25 million people, half of Sudan’s population, are in urgent need of assistance. Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has forced approximately 11 million from their homes, fleeing horrific violence and severe hunger since the outbreak of conflict 18 months ago. Women and girls are facing severe protection risks, including widespread sexual violence and other grave human rights violations.
In August, famine conditions were confirmed in Zamzam camp for internally displaced people – home to over 500,000 people. This marks the third official famine determination in the 21st century. On 9 October, in addition to the ongoing risk of famine in areas of greater Darfur, we were alerted that urban and rural areas of South Kordofan are now at elevated risk of famine due to continuing conflict and siege-like conditions.
The conflict between SAF and RSF and the two sides’ systematic obstruction of local and international humanitarian efforts is at the root of this famine. The war has driven civilians from their homes – uprooting them from their livelihoods. People have been increasingly forced into harmful coping strategies and are more at risk of being trafficked. It has damaged agricultural production and disrupted trade flows and market functionality, resulting in a severe deterioration in the production of and access to food.
In Darfur, only a fraction of the aid needed to feed 7 million acutely food insecure people has been allowed in since August. Untold numbers of people have already died, and many more will die as a result. An immediate and coordinated scale-up of assistance, together with full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to populations in need, is urgently required to mitigate the large-scale loss of life. We condemn that, despite the overwhelming urgency, both SAF and RSF persist in obstructing the humanitarian response.
In addition, bureaucratic impediments by both the Sudan’s Humanitarian Aid Commission and the Sudan Agency for Relief and Humanitarian Operations continue to impede the delivery of assistance at the necessary scale. The Sudanese authorities must recognize that it is essential to work in partnership with humanitarian actors in Sudan, allowing them to address the most urgent needs independently and unhindered. Bureaucratic obstacles that are primarily designed to obstruct the delivery of aid, such as delays in issuing visas and travel permits, will continue to prevent life-saving support to the most vulnerable communities – including those seeking safety from the RSF’s assault on El Fasher in Northern Darfur. The recent treatment of the inter-agency Mission in Darfur is unacceptable and underlines this pattern of obstructive behaviour. The UN and partners must be able to engage with all parties to the conflict to ensure that lifesaving aid reaches people in urgent need wherever they are.
The parties have a duty to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and humanitarian personnel. In practice, this means the removal of all arbitrary restrictions on the Adre border crossing from Chad, including the 3-month time limit, opening of all possible cross-border routes without impediment, and agreeing on routes for humanitarian aid across conflict lines. In this regard, we recall the clear commitment of Chairman of the Sovereign Council, General Al-Burhan, to alleviate and remove all obstacles facing humanitarian actions.
We welcome the fulfilment of the humanitarian pledges made during the Paris Conference for Sudan and neighbouring countries on 15 April and recent progress of the Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) group in improving cross-border and crossline access. We call on the SAF and the RSF to engage and to deliver on their existing commitments and obligations for the sake of the Sudanese people.
Last month, world leaders gathered at the UN General Assembly called for the immediate cessation of hostilities and urgent action in support of Sudan. This is needed now more than ever, with the escalation of the hostilities causing displacement, destruction and death.
ENDS
Updates to this page
Published 18 October 2024 -
MIL-OSI Africa: Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on the report of the Eminent Person, Mohamed Chande Othman, concerning the investigation into the conditions and circumstances resulting in the tragic death of Dag Hammarskjöld
Source: United Nations – English
he Secretary-General has transmitted to the President of the General Assembly the report of the Eminent Person, former Chief Justice of Tanzania, Mr. Mohamed Chande Othman, concerning the investigation into the conditions and circumstances resulting in the tragic death of Dag Hammarskjöld and of the members of the party accompanying him. The Secretary-General’s letter to the President of the General Assembly is accompanied by the Eminent Person’s report and will be publicly available as General Assembly document A/78/1006.
Dag Hammarskjöld served as Secretary-General from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in Ndola, Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia, along with 15 others, UN staff members and crew, on the night of 17/18 September 1961. The Secretary-General pays tribute to all those that died and emphasizes that their families deserve answers.
The Secretary-General is grateful to Judge Othman for his unwavering commitment to this matter and is encouraged that the body of relevant knowledge has grown with each successive mandate of the Eminent Person. He notes that significant new information has been provided to the Eminent Person during his present mandate, including in the areas of: (i) probable intercepts by Member States of relevant communications; (ii) the capacity of the armed forces of Katanga, or others, to have conducted a possible attack on flight SE-BDY; (iii) the presence in the area of foreign paramilitary and intelligence personnel; and (iv) further new information relevant to the context and surrounding events of 1961.
At this juncture, the Eminent Person assesses it to remain plausible that an external attack or threat was a cause of the crash. The Eminent Person notes that the alternative hypotheses that appear to remain available are that the crash resulted from sabotage, or unintentional human error.
The Secretary-General is encouraged by the disclosure of new information by some Member States and by some key Member States’ continued commitment to engage with the Eminent Person. He is also grateful for the cooperation and collaboration by Independent Appointees of Member States as well as individual researchers.
The Secretary-General notes that the Eminent Person considers that it is almost certain that specific, crucial and to date undisclosed information exists in the archives of Member States. The Secretary-General further notes the Eminent Person’s assessment that he has not received, to date, specific responses to his specific queries from certain Member States. The Secretary-General has personally followed up on the Eminent Person’s outstanding requests for information, and calls upon Member States to release any relevant records in their possession.
With significant progress having been made, the Secretary-General calls on all of us to renew our resolve and commitment to pursue the full truth of what happened on that fateful night in 1961.
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MIL-OSI Africa: Afreximbank announces aim to double Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) funding to $2 billion to boost Africa’s creative economy
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
ALGIERS, Algeria, October 18, 2024/APO Group/ —
President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank (www.AfreximBank.com), Professor Benedict Oramah, has announced that Afreximbank will increase its funding to the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme from $1 billion to $2 billion for the next three years. The announcement was made during the CANEX WKND 2024 opening ceremony in Algiers, Algeria, and underscores the Bank’s dedication to Africa’s growing creative economy.
The decision to double CANEX funding arises from a marked surge in demand across Africa’s creative sectors. Since 2022, Afreximbank has seen a significant increase in opportunities within industries from film production and music to fashion manufacturing and sports. With the newly increased $2 billion fund, Afreximbank aims to fulfil these verticals’ growing needs by providing infrastructure, financing, and other resources that will help Africa’s creative industries flourish on a global scale.
Professor Oramah observed that this expansion marks a historic progression in Afreximbank’s strategy to support the creative economy – from the Bank’s initial commitment of $500 million to the sector when CANEX launched in 2020. That figure, the President noted, increased to $1 billion in 2022 to satisfy demand. This upward trend reflects Afreximbank’s profound belief in the power of African creativity to drive economic growth and generate employment.
Commenting on the funding decision, Prof. Oramah said:
“As with many things in Africa, opportunities in the African creative industries abound but remain untapped. This is why Afreximbank has adopted a proactive approach to catalysing the industry. Today, I am pleased to announce a further doubling of our creative industry finance window to 2 billion US dollars for the next three years. This will enable us to support significant infrastructure investments for film production, stadia, arenas, manufacturing facilities for fashion, and training centres.”
The new funding will primarily focus on infrastructure development, which remains a key challenge in the creative sectors. Afreximbank plans to invest in film production facilities, music arenas, sports stadiums, and fashion manufacturing hubs across the continent. These projects aim to equip African creatives with the necessary tools and spaces to produce content and goods that can compete internationally.
Moreover, the fund will also support talent development. Afreximbank’s goal is to help nurture and train African creative professionals to international best-standards, ensuring they have the skills and resources to thrive.
Afreximbank also recognizes the need for innovative financing solutions tailored to the unique challenges of the creative economy. In response, the Bank is developing a $500 million private equity film fund through its impact equity arm, Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA). This initiative will finance film production and distribution, giving African filmmakers access to critical resources for creating content that can attract global audiences.
Another focus area for the Fund will be the fostering of collaborations between Africa and the Diaspora. The viability of this model has been demonstrated by partnerships such as that between African musicians and global artists like the Afro-Brazilian band OLODUM, which led to the production of the acclaimed “ONE Drum” EP. The expanded fund will enable more collaborations of this kind, amplifying African cultural expression and visibility on the global stage.
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MIL-OSI United Nations: Artivism in Peacekeeping: Harnessing Creativity for Global Change
Source: United Nations – Peacekeeping
As conflicts rise worldwide, over 2 billion people—one-quarter of humanity—live in conflict-affected areas. With peace increasingly under threat, the United Nations’ peacekeeping operations continue to play a critical role in promoting stability in some of the world’s most challenging environments. However, as peacekeeping faces unprecedented challenges, a new and powerful tool is being leveraged: artivism. By merging art and activism, artivism has emerged as an innovative way to inspire social change, raise awareness, and engage global communities in peacebuilding.
Artivism—where art meets activism—is the use of artistic expression to promote social or political causes. Whether through murals, street art, or public installations, artivists highlight critical issues such as human rights, justice, and peace. In the context of UN peacekeeping, artivism has become an essential part of global peace campaigns, turning abstract concepts like peace and security into tangible, relatable experiences. On 25 October, International Artist Day 2024 will provide an opportunity to honor those who use art as a tool for fighting for peace, further solidifying the connection between creativity and social change.
Artivism has transformed peacekeeping efforts, humanizing its work and reaching a broader audience. By tapping into the emotional power of art, peacekeeping operations engage communities and individuals in ways that traditional methods cannot. This form of activism allows UN Peacekeeping to connect with the public, creating solidarity and fostering participation in the global peace movement.
One notable example is the 2024 International Day of Peace, which showcased artivism at the heart of UN Peacekeeping’s activities. On this day, the UN Department of Peace Operations collaborated with renowned street artist Detour to create a live painting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The event, curated by Street Art for Mankind, encouraged attendees to contribute their own messages of peace on a second canvas, fostering a collaborative and participatory experience. This combination of creativity and community engagement underscored the power of artivism to inspire collective action.
High-profile figures, including Danish actor and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, American actress Kat Graham, and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, joined the event, amplifying its message. UN officials, including Under-Secretaries-General Melissa Fleming and Rosemary DiCarlo, also attended, highlighting the importance of art as a tool for promoting global peace.
Beyond New York, peacekeeping missions around the world also embraced the power of artivism. In places like Kosovo (UNMIK), Cyprus (UNFICYP), the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) (in French), local artists and peacekeepers collaborated to create murals addressing region-specific issues such as youth engagement, misinformation, and gender-based violence.
More importantly, the installations serve as powerful reminders of the global effort needed to build and sustain peace.
Artivism goes beyond simply creating aesthetically pleasing works of art. It aims to inspire action and mobilize communities around critical social and political issues. A 2018 study published in the Journal of Social Movement Studies found that artivism is more effective than traditional forms of activism in engaging audiences and raising awareness. Art-driven activism, according to the study, is more memorable and has a greater impact on people’s willingness to act on the issues it highlights.
For UN Peacekeeping, the success of artivism is already visible. The 2024 International Day of Peace promoted unity and collective action through creative expression.
Audrey and Thibault Decker, co-founders of Street Art for Mankind, emphasized the universal impact of art, noting, “Art is a universal language. It speaks to the heart and moves humankind in a way nobody can explain, but everybody can experience. Art is essential to the creation of a peaceful world.”
As conflicts become more complex, artivism offers an accessible and powerful means of fostering dialogue, raising awareness, and promoting peace. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, highlighted the importance of these efforts, stating, “As world leaders […] forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future, it’s important that the communities we serve remain at the center of all our efforts.”
Looking forward, UN Peacekeeping will continue to embrace innovative ways to engage communities, raise awareness, and build a more peaceful world. By involving local communities, artists, and peacekeepers in these creative efforts, the message of peace becomes more than just a goal—it becomes a shared vision that people across the globe can actively participate in.
In embracing artivism, UN Peacekeeping demonstrates that peace is not merely the absence of conflict but the presence of creativity, solidarity, and shared purpose. Through continued art-driven activism, peacekeeping will remain a vital force in the global movement toward a more peaceful and just future.
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MIL-OSI United Nations: Note to Correspondents: 7th Annual Consultative Meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) and the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC)
Source: United Nations secretary general
New York
18 October 2024
Note to Correspondents: 7th Annual Consultative Meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) and the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC)
- On 15 October 2024, the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AUPSC) and the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) convened their 7th Annual Consultative Meeting at the ECOSOC Chamber, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The 7th annual Consultative Meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Ambassador Mohamed Omar Gad, Permanent Representative of Arab Republic of Egypt and Chairperson of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union for October 2024, and H.E. Sérgio França Danese, Chair of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission.
- Participants welcomed the remarks and statements delivered by H.E. Mr. Bankole Adeoye, the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security; Mr. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to the African Union and Head of UNOAU; Ms. Elizabeth Spehar, ASG for Peacebuilding Support, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Dr. Alhaji Sarjoh Bah, African Union Commission, Director, Conflict Management. They also noted the steps toward institutionalizing the annual joint consultative meetings between the AUPSC and the PBC, as agreed at the 6th Informal Joint Annual Consultative Meeting, held in Addis Ababa, on 13 November 2023.
- The meeting highlighted the collaborative peacebuilding efforts of the AUPSC and the PBC for peacebuilding and sustaining peace in Africa, as well as the comprehensive review and progress of the status of implementation of outcomes of the 6th Informal Meeting in November 2023, noting that more work still needs to be done in supporting peacebuilding efforts. In this regard, the members reaffirmed the need for increased support to the peacebuilding and national prevention plans of countries and regional organizations and for further strengthening of the strategic partnership between the two bodies to achieve durable peace. Furthermore, they underscored the importance of closer partnership between the AUPSC and the PBC in supporting peacebuilding efforts, including in preventing lapse into conflict, through information sharing and joint analysis, with a view to supporting national and regional priorities in peacebuilding and development. The Members of the AUPSC and the PBC acknowledged that the complex nature of conflicts and the global context, calls for a multidisciplinary approach to both the prevention and resolution of conflicts, that is not limited to security approaches but includes further investment on peacebuilding, socio-economic development and resilient institutions
- The members of the AUPSC and the PBC highlighted the key achievements in peacebuilding and sustaining peace in Africa, including the facilitation of national dialogue, reconciliation through national peacebuilding infrastructures and transitional justice mechanisms (including Truth and Reconciliation Commission) and the development and implementation of peacebuilding, conflict prevention, reconciliation and national cohesion strategies or roadmaps. To this end, they encourage Member States to incorporate peacebuilding and social cohesion in their National Development Strategies. The AUPSC and the members of the PBC underlined the importance of national ownership, leadership and participation of all strata of society, including the youth and women. Also, recognizing challenges such as rising geopolitical tensions, multi- faceted and entrenched conflicts, the adverse effect of climate change, and insufficient financial resources, they called for reinforcing partnerships between the African Union, the United Nations, as well as with relevant international, regional and sub-regional organizations and International Financial Institutions to facilitate resource mobilization. In this regard, they urged international partners, including in the UN System; as well as international and regional financial institutions, to align and coordinate their peacebuilding-related efforts in Africa, with nationally led peacebuilding, regionally and continentally supported efforts, including through the role of the Commission and the African Union Center for Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (AUC-PCRD).
- They underscored the crucial role of structured transitions from peacekeeping missions to peacebuilding in preventing the relapse of conflicts and sustaining peace in Africa. The meeting highlighted the importance of close cooperation and planning with national authorities at an early stage of mission transition in order to ensure residual mission tasks, including protection issues, resilience and capacity building and building strong state institutions based on the rule of law, and promotion of economic and social rehabilitation at the withdrawal of the mission. They recognized major challenges throughout the withdrawal of peacekeeping operations, including complex handover processes, short timelines and the financial cliffs after the mission drawdown. They called for clarifying the transition process, highlighting that peacebuilding and sustaining peace, as well as addressing root causes and structural drivers of conflict should be embedded in mission mandates from its onset. Furthermore, they stressed the importance of early planning and coordination with multiple stakeholders before the mission drawdown. In this regard, they also emphasized the role of the PBC in convening stakeholders and garnering international support, as well as the role of the AU in implementing and advancing Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) policy, noting that strengthened cooperation between the AUC-PCRD in Cairo and the UN Peacebuilding Support Office, in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (PBSO/DPPA), is essential for implementing the AU-UN MoU on Peacebuilding.
- In this regard, they stressed the important role of the AU PCRD Centre in developing programs to support African countries emerging from conflict and political transitions by building strong and resilient state institutions and encouraged partners and stakeholders to invest and provide necessary support for implementing such programs.
- The meeting acknowledged that the AU is a key regional partner for peacebuilding in Africa, supporting the development of national strategies on peacebuilding and sustaining peace. While acknowledging the imperative of resolving armed conflicts in Africa, including through the deployment of AU-led peace support operations, it was recognized that successful transitions hinge on early engagement with national authorities and relevant stakeholders, as well as the development of tailored strategies that consider local needs and priorities and respect for national ownership.
- The AUPSC and PBC stressed the importance to support Member States concerned in the implementation of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) programmes in order to ensure full implementation of peacebuilding and sustaining peace strategies and prevent relapses.
- The AUPSC and PBC reiterated their commitment to continue advancing the Women Peace and Security Agenda, especially acknowledging the upcoming 25th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325(2000), to build upon the complementarities of Fem Wise-Africa and the PBC’s Gender strategy to scale up ensuring women’s equal, full, meaningful and safe participation and leadership in all peacebuilding and sustaining peace processes. In corollary, both bodies underscored the importance of the Youth Peace and Security Agenda and to leverage the African Union’s Youth Decade Plan of Action and the PBC’s Strategic Action Plan on Youth and Peacebuilding to promote the inclusion of youth in peacebuilding efforts, including by building their capacities, skills and livelihoods to actively contribute to sustaining peace and development.
- The AUPSC and the PBC welcomed the adoption of the Pact for the Future, underscoring its focus on forging sound partnerships between the United Nations and regional organizations as well as subregional organizations. They recalled the Pact’s emphasis on preventing and resolving conflicts and disputes among Member States in accordance with the UN Charter, supporting the role of regional and subregional organizations in diplomacy, mediation and the peaceful settlement of disputes, and conducting peace support and enforcement operations, as authorized by the UN Security Council to maintain or restore international peace and security. Moreover, the AUPSC and the PBC welcomed the commitment to strengthen the Peacebuilding Commission through the 2025 Peacebuilding Architecture Review and highlighted the decision to establish improved strategic partnerships between the Commission and international, regional and subregional organizations, including international financial institutions. In line with the Pact for the Future, they encouraged the Secretary-General to convene regular high-level meetings with relevant regional organizations to discuss matters pertaining to peace support operations, peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
- The AUPSC and the PBC commended the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the Multinational Joint Task Force Troop and Police Contributing Countries for their continued commitment towards restoring peace and security in the Lake Chad Basin Region. They welcomed the progress achieved thus far in the implementation of the Regional Stabilization Strategy, Recovery and Resilience of the Boko Haram Affected Areas of the Lake Chad Basin. The AUPSC and the PBC also underscored the imperative to provide additional funding, technical and logistics support to enable the MNJTF and the Lake Chad Basin Commission continue their efforts towards greater stabilization, restoration of lasting peace, and the strengthening of security, stability and prosperity in the Lake Chad Basin region. In this connection, they urged all stakeholders, particularly the PBC, AUPCRD Centre, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other International Partners to redouble their efforts. They welcomed the funding from the European Union and called for new partners to step in with funding, technical and logistics supports for the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the MNJTF Troops Contributing Countries, to enable the full and effective implementation of the Regional Strategy for the Stabilization, Recovery and Resilience of the Lake Chad Basin.
- The AUPSC and the PBC highlighted the contributions of AU-led Peace Support Operations to maintaining international peace and security in Africa, and recalled the adoption of General Assembly Resolution 78/257, 79/1, and Security Council Resolution 2719 (2023). The AUPSC and the PBC welcomed the opportunities for enhanced cooperation, particularly in the context of ensuring sustainable, predictable and adequate financing in line with UNSC resolution 2719 (2023), which is key for AU-led Peace Support Operations to fulfill their mandate in achieving long-term peace, security, stability and development in conflict-affected regions. The AUPSC and the PBC further underscored the need to explore innovative funding mechanisms, in addition to the UN assessed contributions envisaged under the framework resolution 2719 (2023), such as trust funds from multilateral donors, partnerships with International Financial Institutions, and resource mobilization from the private sector.
- The AUPSC and the PBC acknowledged their common goal towards peacebuilding and sustaining peace, they recommitted to continue to strengthen their coordination and joint engagement along the peace continuum, guided by the Joint UN-AU Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security (2017), the AU-UN Framework for the Implementation of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2018).
- The AUPSC and the PBC recalled the AU contribution in the development of the United Nations Peacebuilding Architecture Review in 2020 through the Common African Position. The PBC invited the AUPSC to again contribute to the review in 2025.
- The AUPSC and the PBC called for the implementation of the remaining tasks emanating from the Joint Annual AUPSC and PBC meetings. In that regard, they agreed that their annual consultative meetings should be preceded by at least one preparatory meeting of the experts of the AUPSC and PBC to examine the status of implementation of agreed commitments and sundry issues. They further agreed to enhance their working methods in order to ensure greater engagement during the annual consultative meetings as well as the smooth implementation of the joint outcomes.
- The AUPSC and the PBC agreed to convene their 8th Annual Consultative Meeting in Addis Ababa in 2025, on a date to be agreed upon by the AUPSC and PBC.
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MIL-OSI Security: Man Who Concealed Croatian War Crime Charge Sentenced to Prison for Immigration Fraud
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)
CLEVELAND – An Ohio man was sentenced yesterday to three years in prison for possessing a green card he illegally obtained by concealing that he had been charged with a war crime in Croatia prior to immigrating to the United States.
According to court documents, Jugoslav Vidic, 56, of Parma Heights, in applying to become a lawful permanent resident of the United States, falsely stated that he had never been charged with breaking any law even though he knew he had been charged in Croatia with a war crime against the civilian population. Vidic also falsely stated that his only past military service was in the Yugoslav Army from 1988 to 1989, when, in fact, he fought with the Serb Army of Krajina and its predecessors during the civil war in the former Yugoslavia from 1991 to 1995. As a result of these materially false statements, Vidic was approved for lawful permanent resident status and received a green card.
“Jugoslav Vidic lied about war crimes charged against him in an attempt to escape his past and live in the United States unlawfully,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Thanks to the dedication of prosecutors, law enforcement, and our international partners, Vidic will serve prison time in the United States followed by his removal. His sentence demonstrates that human rights violators will not be allowed to hide from their crimes in the United States.”
“Vidic committed serious human rights violations and was convicted of war crimes in Croatia as a result. Yet, he lied to U.S. immigration officials about his conviction and participation in a violent military force to claim refugee status and obtain a green card — becoming a permanent legal resident of our country — when he was not eligible to do so,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. “Those who run away from violent crimes they commit elsewhere in the world and then enter our country by brazenly lying about their past will be held to account, as yesterday’s sentence demonstrates. Vidic’s deceitful actions are detestable, and unfairly hurt people in need who legitimately seek refuge to flee real harms in their home countries.”
“Our communities here in Ohio and across the U.S. are not safe havens for war criminals to escape accountability in their home countries,” said Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “It is my hope that this sentencing provides some measure of solace to the victims’ families with the knowledge that despite the passage of time, the U.S. will seek justice.”
“Jugoslav Vidic intentionally circumvented the laws of the United States by lying on his green card application about his war crimes conviction in Croatia,” said Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “This case should serve as a warning to others that the FBI will work with our law enforcement partners to identify and hold accountable those like Vidic who seek to violate U.S. law by fraud of any kind.”
“Jugoslav Vidic knowingly avoided the truth of his past to enjoy the freedoms and liberties of the United States for over two and a half decades,” said FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen. “Yesterday’s sentence underscores the work of the FBI and its local, state, federal, and international partners and sends a clear message that people in the United States who take part in war crimes, regardless of when or where they occurred, or by masking their involvement, will be identified, investigated, and prosecuted.”
Vidic admitted in his plea agreement that he was charged with a war crime in Croatia in 1994 and convicted in absentia in 1998. The Croatian court found that during an attack by ethnic Serb forces in Petrinja, Croatia, on Sept. 16, 1991, Vidic cut off the arm of civilian Stjepan Komes, who died afterward. Vidic further admitted that he knew about the Croatian charges when he immigrated to the United States as a refugee in 1999, applied to become a lawful permanent resident in 2000, and was interviewed by U.S. immigration officials and received his green card in 2005.
Vidic pleaded guilty to one count of possessing an alien registration receipt card knowing it had been procured through materially false statements. As part of the plea agreement, Vidic agreed to the entry of a judicial order of removal from the United States.
HSI and the FBI investigated the case with coordination provided by the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, including the FBI’s International Human Rights Unit. The Justice Department thanks the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration of the Republic of Croatia, which were both instrumental in furthering the investigation.
Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Shepherd and Jerome J. Teresinski for the Northern District of Ohio prosecuted the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided assistance.
Members of the public who have information about human rights violators or immigration fraud in the United States are urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or through the FBI online tip form, or HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or through the ICE online tip form. All are staffed around the clock, and tips may be provided anonymously.
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MIL-OSI Security: Raytheon Company to Pay Over $950 Million in Connection with Foreign Bribery, Export Control and Defective Pricing Schemes
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)
Raytheon to Pay Approximately $300 Million to Resolve the FCPA and ITAR Investigations in the Eastern District of New York
BROOKLYN, NY – Raytheon Company (Raytheon), a subsidiary of Arlington, Virginia-based defense contractor RTX (formerly known as Raytheon Technologies Corporation), entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the Department of Justice in connection with a criminal information unsealed today in the Eastern District of New York charging Raytheon with two counts: conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for engaging in a scheme to bribe a government official in Qatar and conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) by willfully failing to disclose the bribes in export licensing applications with the Department of State.
Separately, Raytheon will enter into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) in connection with a criminal information filed today in the District of Massachusetts charging Raytheon with two counts of major fraud against the United States. As part of that resolution, Raytheon admitted to engaging in two separate schemes to defraud the Department of Defense (DOD) in connection with the provision of defense articles and services, including PATRIOT missile systems and a radar system.
Both agreements require that Raytheon retain an independent compliance monitor for three years, enhance its internal compliance program, report evidence of additional misconduct to the Justice Department, and cooperate in any ongoing or future criminal investigations.
Raytheon also reached a separate False Claims Act settlement with the department relating to the defective pricing schemes. The Justice Department’s FCPA and ITAR resolution is coordinated with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
In addition, the Justice Department’s resolutions ensure that the appropriate federal agencies can proceed with determining whether Raytheon or any other individuals or entities associated with the company should be suspended or debarred as federal contractors. Pursuant to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), when more than one agency has an interest in an entity’s potential suspension or debarment, the FAR requires that the Interagency Suspension and Debarment Committee (ISDC) identify the lead agency for conducting government-wide suspension or debarment proceedings. In connection with this resolution, the Justice Department has referred Raytheon’s factual admissions to the appropriate officials within the Department of Defense to initiate the process with the ISDC to identify which federal agency will take the lead in such administrative proceedings, which occur independently of the Justice Department’s criminal and civil resolutions.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Kevin Driscoll, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kevin Driscoll of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Chad Yarbrough, Assistant Director, Criminal Investigative Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York, announced the resolution.
“Over the course of several years, Raytheon employees bribed a high-level Qatari military official to obtain lucrative defense contracts and concealed the bribe payments by falsifying documents to the government, in violation of laws including those designed to protect our national security,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “We will continue to pursue justice against corruption, and as this agreement establishes, enforce meaningful consequences, reforms and monitorship to ensure this misconduct is not repeated.”
Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the U.S. Department of State for their work on the case.
“Raytheon engaged in criminal schemes to defraud the U.S. government in connection with contracts for critical military systems and to win business through bribery in Qatar,” stated Deputy Assistant Attorney General Driscoll. “Such corrupt and fraudulent conduct, especially by a publicly traded U.S. defense contractor, erodes public trust and harms the Department of Defense, businesses that play by the rules, and American taxpayers. Today’s resolutions, with criminal and civil penalties totaling nearly $1 billion, reflect the Criminal Division’s ability to tackle the most significant and complex white-collar cases across multiple subject matters.”
“International corruption in military and defense sales is a violation of our national security laws as well as an anti-bribery offense,” stated Assistant Attorney General Olsen. “Raytheon willfully failed to disclose bribes made in connection with contracts that required export licenses. Today’s resolution should serve as a stark warning to companies that violate the law when selling sensitive military technology overseas.”
“The Raytheon Company set out to intentionally defraud the U.S. government,” stated FBI Assistant Director Yarbrough. “This agreement highlights the importance of integrity when it comes to government contracting. The FBI, with its law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate these types of crimes that waste taxpayer dollars and prosecute all those who are intent on cooking up these major fraud schemes.”
“Raytheon Corporation engaged in a systematic and deliberate conspiracy that knowingly and willfully violated U.S. fraud and export laws,” stated HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Walker. “Raytheon’s bribery of government officials, specifically those involved in the procurement of U.S. military technology, posed a national security threat to both the U.S. and its allies. As this investigation reflects, national security continues to be a top priority for HSI New York. The global threats facing the U.S. have never been greater, and HSI New York is committed to working with our federal and international partners to assure sensitive U.S. technologies are not unlawfully and fraudulently acquired.”
The FCPA Case
According to admissions and court documents filed in the Eastern District of New York, between approximately 2012 and 2016, Raytheon, through certain of its employees and agents, engaged in a scheme to bribe a high-level official at the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF), a branch of Qatar’s Armed Forces (QAF) that was primarily responsible for the conduct of air warfare, to assist Raytheon in obtaining and retaining business from the QEAF and QAF. Raytheon entered into and made payments on sham contracts for air defense operations-related studies to corruptly obtain the Qatari official’s assistance in securing certain air defense contracts. Raytheon also entered into a teaming agreement with a Qatari entity to corruptly obtain the Qatari official’s assistance in directly awarding a contract to Raytheon, without a competitive bid, to build a joint operations center that would interface with Qatar’s several military branches.
Under the terms of the DPA, Raytheon will pay a criminal monetary penalty of over $252.3 million, criminal forfeiture of over $36.6 million and retain an independent compliance monitor for three years. In addition, as part of the resolution of the SEC’s parallel investigation, Raytheon will pay approximately $49.1 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest and a civil penalty of $75 million, $22.5 million of which will be credited against the criminal monetary penalty. The Department has agreed to credit approximately $7.4 million of the disgorgement Raytheon pays to the SEC against the criminal forfeiture.
As part of the DPA, Raytheon and RTX have agreed to continue to cooperate with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section in any ongoing or future criminal investigations relating to this and other conduct. In addition, Raytheon and RTX have agreed to continue to enhance Raytheon’s compliance program.
The Department reached this resolution with Raytheon based on a number of factors, including, among others, the nature and seriousness of the offense. Raytheon received credit for its cooperation with the Department’s investigation, which included:
- Providing information obtained through its internal investigation, which allowed the government to preserve and obtain evidence as part of its own independent investigation;
- Facilitating interviews with current and former employees;
- Making detailed factual presentations to the government;
- Proactively disclosing certain evidence of which the government was previously unaware and identifying key documents in materials it produced; and
- Engaging experts to conduct financial analyses.
Raytheon also engaged in timely remedial measures, including:
- Recalibrating third party review and approval processes to lower company risk tolerance;
- Implementing enhanced controls over sales intermediary payments;
- Hiring empowered subject matter experts to oversee its anti-corruption compliance program and third party management;
- Implementing data analytics to improve third party monitoring; and
- Developing a multipronged communications strategy to enhance ethics and compliance training and communications.
However, in determining the appropriate cooperation credit, the government also took into account the fact that, in the initial phases of the investigation, prior to in or around 2022, Raytheon was at times slow to respond to the government’s requests and failed to provide relevant information in its possession; for example, Raytheon withheld relevant, material information from the government and gave incomplete and misleading presentations regarding the nature and scope of a relevant third-party intermediary relationship.
In light of these considerations, as well as Raytheon’s prior history, which includes three prior civil or regulatory enforcement actions: (i) a 2013 consent agreement with the U.S. State Department concerning civil ITAR and Arms Export Control Act violations, in connection with which Raytheon agreed to hire an independent special compliance officer to oversee the four-year consent decree while at the same time engaging in the conduct described in the DPA; (ii) a civil settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency in 2007 concerning payments to clean up contamination sites; and (iii) a resolution with the SEC in 2006 concerning false and misleading disclosures and improper accounting practices, the criminal penalty calculated under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines reflects a 20% reduction off the twentieth percentile above the low end of the otherwise applicable Guidelines fine range.
The ITAR Case
According to admissions and court documents filed in the Eastern District of New York, between approximately 2012 and 2016, Raytheon, through certain of its employees and agents, engaged in a scheme to willfully violate the AECA and ITAR Part 130 by failing to disclose to the United States Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, fees and commissions paid in connection with two Qatar-related contracts – specifically, the bribes Raytheon paid to the high-level QEAF official through sham subcontracts.
The Department reached this resolution with Raytheon based on a number of factors, including, among others, the nature and seriousness of the offense. Raytheon received credit for its cooperation with the Department’s investigation, which included:
- Gathering evidence of interest to the government and proactively identifying key documents related to willful ITAR-related misconduct;
- Making factual presentations concerning the ITAR-related misconduct; and
- Facilitating witness interviews and expediting the government’s ability to meet with witnesses.
Raytheon also received credit for remediation, which included, in addition to the remediation described above in connection with the FCPA case:
- Hiring additional empowered subject matter experts in legal and compliance;
- Developing a multipronged communications strategy to enhance ethics and compliance training and communications; and
- Making enhancements to its ITAR-related compliance program.
Raytheon did not receive full credit for its cooperation because in the initial phase of the investigation, it failed to provide information relevant to the ITAR violations beyond what was requested in the FCPA investigation.
In light of these considerations, the ITAR-related financial penalty of $21,904,850 includes a cooperation and remediation credit of 20 percent off the otherwise applicable penalty.
The Defective Pricing Case
According to admissions and court documents filed in the District of Massachusetts, from 2012 through 2013 and again from 2017 through 2018, Raytheon employees provided false and fraudulent information to the DOD during contract negotiations concerning two contracts with the United States for the benefit of a foreign partner — one to purchase PATRIOT missile systems and the other to operate and maintain a radar system. In both instances, Raytheon employees provided false and fraudulent information to DOD in order to mislead DOD into awarding the two contracts at inflated prices. These schemes to defraud caused the DOD to pay Raytheon over $111 million more than Raytheon should have been paid on the contracts.
Under the terms of the DPA, Raytheon will pay a criminal monetary penalty of $146,787,972, pay $111,203,009in victim compensation, and retain an independent compliance monitor for three years. The Justice Department has agreed to credit the victim compensation amount against restitution Raytheon pays to the Civil Division in its related, parallel False Claims Act proceeding.
Pursuant to the DPA, in addition to the independent compliance monitor, Raytheon and RTX have agreed to continue to implement a compliance and ethics program at Raytheon designed to prevent and detect fraudulent conduct throughout its operations. Raytheon and RTX have also agreed to continue to cooperate with the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts in any ongoing or future criminal investigations.
The Justice Department reached this resolution with Raytheon based on a number of factors, including, among others, the nature and seriousness of the offense conduct, which involved two separate schemes to defraud the U.S. government. Raytheon received credit for its affirmative acceptance of responsibility and cooperation with the department’s investigation, which included (i) facilitating interviews with current and former employees; (ii) providing information obtained through its internal investigation, which allowed the department to preserve and obtain evidence as part of its own independent investigation; (iii) making detailed presentations to the department; (iv) proactively identifying key documents in the voluminous materials collected and produced; (v) engaging experts to conduct financial analyses; and (vi) demonstrating its willingness to disclose all relevant facts by analyzing whether the crime-fraud exception applied to certain potentially privileged documents and releasing the documents that it deemed fell within the exception. However, in the initial phases of the investigation prior to March 2022, Raytheon’s cooperation was limited by unreasonably slow document productions.
Raytheon also engaged in timely remedial measures, including (i) terminating certain employees who were responsible for the misconduct; (ii) establishing a broad defective pricing awareness campaign; (iii) developing and implementing policies, procedures, and controls relating to defective pricing compliance; and (iv) engaging additional resources with appropriate expertise to evaluate and test the new policies, procedures, and controls relating to defective pricing compliance.
In light of these considerations, as well as Raytheon’s prior history, the criminal penalty calculated under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines reflects a 25% reduction off the tenth percentile above the low end of the otherwise applicable guidelines fine range.
The False Claims Act Settlement
Raytheon also entered into a civil False Claims Act settlement to resolve allegations that it provided untruthful certified cost or pricing data when negotiating prices with the DOD for numerous government contracts and double billed on a weapons maintenance contract.
Under the False Claims Act settlement, which is the second largest government procurement fraud recovery under the Act, Raytheon will pay $428 million for knowingly failing to provide truthful certified cost and pricing data during negotiations on numerous government contracts between 2009 and 2020, in violation of the Truth in Negotiations Act (TINA). Congress enacted TINA in 1962 to help level the playing field in sole source contracts — where there is no price competition — by making sure that government negotiators have access to the cost or pricing data that the offeror used when developing its proposal. As part of the settlement, Raytheon admitted that it failed to disclose cost or pricing data, as required by TINA, regarding its labor and material costs to supply weapon systems to DOD.
Raytheon also admitted that by misrepresenting its costs during contract negotiations it overcharged the United States on these contracts and received profits in excess of the negotiated profit rates. Further, Raytheon admitted that it failed to disclose truthful cost or pricing data on a contract to staff a radar station. Raytheon also admitted that it billed the same costs twice on a DOD contract.As part of the civil resolution, Raytheon received credit under the Justice Department’s guidelines for taking disclosure, cooperation, and remediation into account in False Claims Act cases for cooperation provided by RTX. That cooperation included conducting and disclosing the results of an internal investigation, disclosing relevant facts and material not known to the government but relevant to its investigation, providing the department with inculpatory evidence, conducting a damages analysis, identifying and separating individuals responsible for or involved in the misconduct, admitting liability and accepting responsibility for the misconduct, and improving its compliance programs.
The civil settlement includes the resolution of a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The qui tam lawsuit was filed by Karen Atesoglu, a former Raytheon employee, and is captioned United States ex rel. Atesoglu v. Raytheon Technologies Corporation, 21-CV-10690-PBS (D. Mass.). Ms. Atesoglu will receive $4.2 million as her share of the settlement.
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In July 2022, Mr. Peace was selected as the Chairperson of the White Collar Fraud subcommittee for the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC). As the leader of the subcommittee, Mr. Peace plays a key role in making recommendations to the AGAC to facilitate the prevention, investigation and prosecution of various financially motivated, non-violent crimes including the FCPA.
The FCPA and ITAR investigation was conducted by HSI and the FBI’s International Corruption Unit. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section, the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. Assistant United States Attorneys David Pitluck, Hiral Mehta and Jessica Weigel are prosecuting the case with Acting Assistant Chief Katherine Raut and Trial Attorney Elina A. Rubin-Smith of the Fraud Section, and Trial Attorneys Christine Bonomo and Leslie Esbrook of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, with assistance from Eastern District of New York Paralegal Specialist Liam McNett.
The Defendant:
THE RAYTHEON COMPANY
Waltham, MassachusettsE.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 24-CR-399 (RER)
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MIL-OSI USA: Five Country Ministerial 2024 – Joint Communique
Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency
Headline: Five Country Ministerial 2024 – Joint Communique
National Security Risks of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The Five Countries recognise the enormous opportunities presented by critical and emerging technologies – such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) – in creating new jobs, improving productivity, and aiding in cyber defence. However, the rapid development and deployment of AI risks creating novel security vulnerabilities (including both to and from AI systems) and providing a platform for malign actors to increase the speed and scale of malicious activities. We are particularly concerned by the use of AI to facilitate the creation and distribution of mis/disinformation, malware, terrorist and violent extremist content, non-consensual deep fake pornography, and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). We continue to share information on how our governments are establishing frameworks to best manage the risks associated with AI, while still taking advantage of the benefits, and remain committed to working together to ensure our shared values shape international standards and governance for AI.
We acknowledge that deeper cooperation among the Five Countries will support the safe, secure, and trustworthy deployment and use of these technologies in a way that minimises the risks and maximises opportunities in a national security context. The Five Countries remain committed to continuing to align our work in achieving this goal.
Countering Foreign Interference
With more people than ever voting in elections around the world in 2024, the Five Countries recognise the need for resilient and transparent democratic institutions to mitigate evolving threats to democratic processes. Such threats, including the proliferation of state-sponsored disinformation through increased use of emerging technologies, pose a significant challenge to upholding our democratic values.
We are resolute in our commitment to ensuring that communities are free from transnational repression, and recognise the continued need for collaboration, information sharing and taking action to protect our communities, businesses, and citizens. It is unacceptable for any foreign government to target members of our communities to prevent individuals from exercising their fundamental rights and freedoms in the Five Countries.
Finally, the Five Countries recognise the need to mitigate the threat posed by foreign interference and espionage within our research ecosystems. The Five Countries remain committed to exchanging best practices and threat information on research security, including how foreign entities of concern may be attempting to adapt to and bypass safeguards, to improve the resilience of those ecosystems.
Cyber Security
The increase in malicious and sophisticated cyber security threats is impacting the daily lives of citizens, businesses and governments across the Five Countries. We emphasise the need to target the enablers that make up the cybercrime business model, who are providing the illicit products, goods and services that make it easier to commit cybercrime. Malicious cyber activity against critical infrastructure by both state and non-state malicious cyber actors pose some of the greatest threats to our Five Countries and we are committed to jointly disrupting these operations and securing our most important networks.
We note the importance of fraud in the cyber security context and are particularly concerned about online scam centres that target vulnerable individuals globally; are involved in human trafficking for forced criminality to support their operations; or feed into a highly profitable criminal enterprise that undermines our cyber security. We reaffirm our support to the commitments made at the Global Fraud Summit. A key outcome from the Summit was to maintain strong engagement with industry, and the Five Countries agree to progress further efforts in this space to tackle the fraud threat and better protect our citizens.
We recognise the broader role of continued public-private collaboration in mitigating cyber security and data threats for our citizens, businesses and nations. To further deepen our relationship with industry, the Five Countries commit to share lessons learned from respective domestic efforts in securing data to ensure trusted and secure cross-border data flows and enhance the resilience of our data.
We recognise the value of coming together as the Five Countries to enhance strategic engagement on priority cybercrime threats, particularly through the international Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI). The Five Countries will actively support the CRI and will engage in wider fora to advance our shared aims through international cooperation and build cross-border resilience to collectively disrupt malicious cyber actors.
Domestic Security
In response to recent events in the Middle East, the Five Countries have regularly drawn on the FCM to discuss the conflict and broader security situation, as well as associated domestic security challenges. This includes recognising the effects of this conflict on impacted communities, exploring the associated impacts in polarising and radicalising community attitudes, and understanding the threats posed by the spread of extremist content and disinformation.
We remain very concerned about the rise of terrorist and violent extremist content online and its impact, particularly on young people, and we recognise the importance of continued engagement with industry to mitigate this issue.
As members of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) Independent Advisory Committee, we call on the organisation to strengthen its efforts to address terrorist and violent extremist content, including when it arises in the context of a prolonged conflict. We stress the importance of expanding GIFCT membership to include a broader range of technology companies, as well as in helping smaller platforms to identify and address terrorist and violent extremist content. In parallel, we continue to support the implementation of the Christchurch Call commitments and welcome the launch of the Christchurch Call Foundation.
We commit to addressing the complexity of youth radicalisation, as well as the need to better understand the risks of personalised ideological motivations. We acknowledge that unique pathways and factors can make at-risk individuals susceptible to radicalisation, including violent extremism. We will continue to share information on effective approaches to prevention, such as intervention approaches to support diversion efforts; and are committed to working together to conduct a diagnosis of how violent extremist actors leverage technology to encourage at-risk individuals to violence.
Lawful Access
The Five Countries will continue working together to maintain tightly-controlled lawful access to communications content that is vital to the investigation and prosecution of serious crimes including terrorism and child abuse. We will work in partnership with technology companies to do this, protecting the safety of our citizens.
Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA)
The Five Countries note the significant role of emerging technologies, including AI, in the proliferation of child sexual exploitation and abuse material. We reiterate our collective commitment to exercising all levers available to tackle this crime type and keep children safe in all settings.
We recognise the need to work collaboratively across the whole sector, noting the specific knowledge and role of industry and academia, and the expertise of victims, survivors and their families to ensure our efforts to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse are holistic, evidence-based, and promote technological innovation. In this spirit, we jointly endorsed the “Bridging Government Efforts and Elevating Survivors’ Voices” statement (Annex I).
We also recognise the continued importance of the Voluntary Principles to Counter Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and – noting that the landscape has changed significantly since their launch five years ago – commit to further engagement with signatories to seek updates on efforts to uphold the principles as outlined.
While there has been progress through voluntary action to date, the Five Countries urgently call on tech companies to continue to drive innovation to keep children safe online on their platforms and to adhere to legal requirements in each of our jurisdictions. We remain committed to working with industry to explore holistic efforts and supporting innovation in tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse, including responding to the proliferation of AI-generated child sexual exploitation and abuse content.
Migration
The Five Countries recognise the extensive pressures on our border management, migration and protection systems that are being exacerbated by significant volumes of global migration and displacement seen across the world.
We acknowledge that there are a multitude of drivers for irregular migration and forced displacement, and we recognise the importance of taking a whole-of-route approach in response to mixed migrant flows. The Five Countries will continue to explore opportunities to work together to combat organised crime groups that are facilitating and profiting from human smuggling.
The Five Countries also recognise the opportunities presented by the rise in global migration and mobility, and note the benefits of safe and regular migration pathways. At the same time, we remain committed to enforcing our immigration laws and delivering consequences for those individuals who have no right to remain in our respective countries. We encourage the use of innovative policy levers to maintain well-managed regular pathways in light of increasing demand on our migration systems. We are committed to deepening our collaboration to enhance the integrity of our migration and border systems by leveraging emerging technology and examining additional efforts to address fraud and stop bad actors from exploiting our regular pathways.
The Five Countries remain steadfast in our commitment to promoting and protecting the human rights of all migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers in accordance with our international obligations, whilst endorsing pragmatic approaches of countries to establish policies in their own national interest and national security.
Closing
The FCM remains the preeminent Ministerial-level forum for the Five Countries to engage and exchange information on shared national security issues and implement new initiatives to respond to various areas of concern. Our efforts to collaborate and exchange best practise in responding to evolving threats continues to grow and we look forward to further deepening these efforts in the coming year ahead
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MIL-OSI Security: Five Country Ministerial 2024 – Joint Communique
Source: US Department of Homeland Security
We, the Home Affairs, Interior, Security and Immigration Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States (the ‘Five Countries’) remain steadfast in our commitment to uphold and promote shared liberal democratic values, and in working collaboratively to protect our citizens, communities, and governments from evolving national security threats in an increasingly contested world. Throughout 2024, the Five Countries have collaborated and advanced efforts on a range of issues relevant to our collective national security thematic areas of interest, specifically in consideration of the following issues:
National Security Risks of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The Five Countries recognise the enormous opportunities presented by critical and emerging technologies – such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) – in creating new jobs, improving productivity, and aiding in cyber defence. However, the rapid development and deployment of AI risks creating novel security vulnerabilities (including both to and from AI systems) and providing a platform for malign actors to increase the speed and scale of malicious activities. We are particularly concerned by the use of AI to facilitate the creation and distribution of mis/disinformation, malware, terrorist and violent extremist content, non-consensual deep fake pornography, and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). We continue to share information on how our governments are establishing frameworks to best manage the risks associated with AI, while still taking advantage of the benefits, and remain committed to working together to ensure our shared values shape international standards and governance for AI.
We acknowledge that deeper cooperation among the Five Countries will support the safe, secure, and trustworthy deployment and use of these technologies in a way that minimises the risks and maximises opportunities in a national security context. The Five Countries remain committed to continuing to align our work in achieving this goal.
Countering Foreign Interference
With more people than ever voting in elections around the world in 2024, the Five Countries recognise the need for resilient and transparent democratic institutions to mitigate evolving threats to democratic processes. Such threats, including the proliferation of state-sponsored disinformation through increased use of emerging technologies, pose a significant challenge to upholding our democratic values.
We are resolute in our commitment to ensuring that communities are free from transnational repression, and recognise the continued need for collaboration, information sharing and taking action to protect our communities, businesses, and citizens. It is unacceptable for any foreign government to target members of our communities to prevent individuals from exercising their fundamental rights and freedoms in the Five Countries.
Finally, the Five Countries recognise the need to mitigate the threat posed by foreign interference and espionage within our research ecosystems. The Five Countries remain committed to exchanging best practices and threat information on research security, including how foreign entities of concern may be attempting to adapt to and bypass safeguards, to improve the resilience of those ecosystems.
Cyber Security
The increase in malicious and sophisticated cyber security threats is impacting the daily lives of citizens, businesses and governments across the Five Countries. We emphasise the need to target the enablers that make up the cybercrime business model, who are providing the illicit products, goods and services that make it easier to commit cybercrime. Malicious cyber activity against critical infrastructure by both state and non-state malicious cyber actors pose some of the greatest threats to our Five Countries and we are committed to jointly disrupting these operations and securing our most important networks.
We note the importance of fraud in the cyber security context and are particularly concerned about online scam centres that target vulnerable individuals globally; are involved in human trafficking for forced criminality to support their operations; or feed into a highly profitable criminal enterprise that undermines our cyber security. We reaffirm our support to the commitments made at the Global Fraud Summit. A key outcome from the Summit was to maintain strong engagement with industry, and the Five Countries agree to progress further efforts in this space to tackle the fraud threat and better protect our citizens.
We recognise the broader role of continued public-private collaboration in mitigating cyber security and data threats for our citizens, businesses and nations. To further deepen our relationship with industry, the Five Countries commit to share lessons learned from respective domestic efforts in securing data to ensure trusted and secure cross-border data flows and enhance the resilience of our data.
We recognise the value of coming together as the Five Countries to enhance strategic engagement on priority cybercrime threats, particularly through the international Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI). The Five Countries will actively support the CRI and will engage in wider fora to advance our shared aims through international cooperation and build cross-border resilience to collectively disrupt malicious cyber actors.
Domestic Security
In response to recent events in the Middle East, the Five Countries have regularly drawn on the FCM to discuss the conflict and broader security situation, as well as associated domestic security challenges. This includes recognising the effects of this conflict on impacted communities, exploring the associated impacts in polarising and radicalising community attitudes, and understanding the threats posed by the spread of extremist content and disinformation.
We remain very concerned about the rise of terrorist and violent extremist content online and its impact, particularly on young people, and we recognise the importance of continued engagement with industry to mitigate this issue.
As members of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) Independent Advisory Committee, we call on the organisation to strengthen its efforts to address terrorist and violent extremist content, including when it arises in the context of a prolonged conflict. We stress the importance of expanding GIFCT membership to include a broader range of technology companies, as well as in helping smaller platforms to identify and address terrorist and violent extremist content. In parallel, we continue to support the implementation of the Christchurch Call commitments and welcome the launch of the Christchurch Call Foundation.
We commit to addressing the complexity of youth radicalisation, as well as the need to better understand the risks of personalised ideological motivations. We acknowledge that unique pathways and factors can make at-risk individuals susceptible to radicalisation, including violent extremism. We will continue to share information on effective approaches to prevention, such as intervention approaches to support diversion efforts; and are committed to working together to conduct a diagnosis of how violent extremist actors leverage technology to encourage at-risk individuals to violence.
Lawful Access
The Five Countries will continue working together to maintain tightly-controlled lawful access to communications content that is vital to the investigation and prosecution of serious crimes including terrorism and child abuse. We will work in partnership with technology companies to do this, protecting the safety of our citizens.
Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA)
The Five Countries note the significant role of emerging technologies, including AI, in the proliferation of child sexual exploitation and abuse material. We reiterate our collective commitment to exercising all levers available to tackle this crime type and keep children safe in all settings.
We recognise the need to work collaboratively across the whole sector, noting the specific knowledge and role of industry and academia, and the expertise of victims, survivors and their families to ensure our efforts to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse are holistic, evidence-based, and promote technological innovation. In this spirit, we jointly endorsed the “Bridging Government Efforts and Elevating Survivors’ Voices” statement (Annex I).
We also recognise the continued importance of the Voluntary Principles to Counter Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and – noting that the landscape has changed significantly since their launch five years ago – commit to further engagement with signatories to seek updates on efforts to uphold the principles as outlined.
While there has been progress through voluntary action to date, the Five Countries urgently call on tech companies to continue to drive innovation to keep children safe online on their platforms and to adhere to legal requirements in each of our jurisdictions. We remain committed to working with industry to explore holistic efforts and supporting innovation in tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse, including responding to the proliferation of AI-generated child sexual exploitation and abuse content.
Migration
The Five Countries recognise the extensive pressures on our border management, migration and protection systems that are being exacerbated by significant volumes of global migration and displacement seen across the world.
We acknowledge that there are a multitude of drivers for irregular migration and forced displacement, and we recognise the importance of taking a whole-of-route approach in response to mixed migrant flows. The Five Countries will continue to explore opportunities to work together to combat organised crime groups that are facilitating and profiting from human smuggling.
The Five Countries also recognise the opportunities presented by the rise in global migration and mobility, and note the benefits of safe and regular migration pathways. At the same time, we remain committed to enforcing our immigration laws and delivering consequences for those individuals who have no right to remain in our respective countries. We encourage the use of innovative policy levers to maintain well-managed regular pathways in light of increasing demand on our migration systems. We are committed to deepening our collaboration to enhance the integrity of our migration and border systems by leveraging emerging technology and examining additional efforts to address fraud and stop bad actors from exploiting our regular pathways.
The Five Countries remain steadfast in our commitment to promoting and protecting the human rights of all migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers in accordance with our international obligations, whilst endorsing pragmatic approaches of countries to establish policies in their own national interest and national security.
Closing
The FCM remains the preeminent Ministerial-level forum for the Five Countries to engage and exchange information on shared national security issues and implement new initiatives to respond to various areas of concern. Our efforts to collaborate and exchange best practise in responding to evolving threats continues to grow and we look forward to further deepening these efforts in the coming year ahead
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MIL-OSI Video: Gaza: Catastrophic levels of hunger expected to double – Press Conference | United Nations
Source: United Nations (Video News)
Press Conference by Volker Turk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
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The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, told journalists in New York that “the number of people at catastrophic levels of hunger is expected to double in the coming months and the risk of famine persists across the whole of Gaza,” and added that “this crisis is principally the consequences of decisions made by the Israeli authorities.”
Following the presentation of his annual report to the General Assembly, Türk said, “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited under international humanitarian law. It constitutes a war crime. As the occupying power, Israel has the specific obligations an international humanitarian law to bring into Gaza the necessary foodstuffs, medical supplies and other articles, and to facilitate humanitarian relief by all means at its disposal.”
He said, “there are reports that Israeli forces are preventing humanitarian aid from accessing the north, exacerbating the already desperate humanitarian and medical needs,” adding that Israel’s evacuation orders “appear designed to cut off north Gaza completely from the rest of the territory, as bombing and other attacks continue.”
Turning to Lebanon, the High Commissioner said Israeli “daily strikes on residential buildings in urban areas are taking an appalling toll on civilians with significant numbers of casualties, destruction and displacement,” while “Hizbullah also continues to fire rockets into Israel, where many thousands are displaced from their homes.”
He stressed that the risk of a full-fledged regional conflict “remains very high, one that could engulf the lives and the human rights of millions of people,” and added that the “illogic of escalation, must end.”
On the Ukraine war, Türk said, “nearly 1000 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion, we continue to see terrible devastation characterised by recurring human rights violations and war crimes,” and noted that July 2024 was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since October 2022
He said, “with the ongoing attacks on crucial energy infrastructure, I fear for Ukrainians this coming winter.”
On the situation in Sudan, the High Commissioner said, “the warring parties, affiliated groups and regional actors continue to compete for influence and power, forcing a staggering 10 million people to flee their homes and leaving more than 25 million people facing acute hunger.”
He said, “the situation is desperate, and there is evidence of the commission of war crimes and other atrocity crimes.”
Türk said, “when my office rings warning bells, as we have over many years for all the situations that I referred to above, the international community needs to listen and act to avert catastrophe.”
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MIL-OSI Video: Lebanon/UNIFIL, Somalia, Cameroon & other topics-Daily Press Briefing (18 Oct 2024) | United Nations
Source: United Nations (Video News)
Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
-Secretary-General travels
-African Union – United Nations
-Lebanon/UNIFIL
-Secretary-General/UNIFIL
-Lebanon/Humanitarian
-Secretary-General/Gaza
-Occupied Palestinian territory
-Dag Hammarskjöld
-Somalia
-Cameroon
-Democratic Republic of the Congo
-BriefingsSECRETARY-GENERAL TRAVELS
On Sunday, 20 October, the Secretary-General will arrive in Addis Ababa, to take part in the 8th African Union–United Nations annual conference.
The high-level discussions, to be held on Monday, 21 October, will be co-chaired by Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, along with Mr. Guterres. The meeting will focus on progress in the implementation of cooperation frameworks between the two organizations, but also on the joint action and challenges linked to peace, security, development, human rights and the impact of climate change on the African continent.
Discussions this year will also include the implementation of the Pact for the Future, as well as the operationalization of Security Council resolution 2719 (2023), which, as you will recall, establishes the framework for financing of African Union-led peace support operations through United Nations assessed contributions – something the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission had long advocated for.
The annual conference will conclude with a joint press conference by the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat. It will be available on UN WebTV shortly after.
Later in the day, the Secretary-General will go to the UN Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, where he will take part in the re-inauguration ceremony of Africa Hall, which is reopening after extensive renovations to transform it into a modern conference centre. We expect the ceremony to be webcast live on UN WebTV.
While in Addis Ababa, the Secretary-General is also scheduled to hold meetings with the President and Prime Minister of Ethiopia.AFRICAN UNION – UNITED NATIONS
Speaking of UN-African Union relations, I’d like to note that on 15 October, the Peace and Security Council of the African Union and the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission convened their 7th Annual Consultative Meeting at the ECOSOC Chamber here at UN Headquarters.
The meeting highlighted the collaborative peacebuilding efforts of the AU Peace and Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission for peacebuilding and sustaining peace in Africa, as well as the comprehensive review and progress of the status of implementation of outcomes of the 6th Informal Meeting in November 2023. They also noted that more work still needs to be done in supporting peacebuilding efforts. We have a note with more details on that meeting.LEBANON/UNIFIL
Firing continued across parts of Lebanon and northern Israel today, with Israeli strikes in Saida, Nabatieh, Jezzine, Bekaa, and Mount Lebanon as well as the UNIFIL area of operations, while strikes by Hizbullah into northern Israel, including towards Haifa, and the Israeli-occupied Golan, also continued.
Our colleagues in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) report that the high levels of fire across the Blue Line have persisted, with UNIFIL detecting 966 projectiles over the past 24 hours. The vast majority of these projectiles originated from south of the Blue Line, primarily striking Ayta ash Sha’b in Sector West and Al Wazzani and Mays al-Jabal in Sector East, while 68 projectiles were recorded originating from north of the Blue Line. The Mission also noted 70 air violations by the IDF into Lebanese air space, breaking the previous day’s record for daily violations since October 2023. Furthermore, clashes on the ground between Hizbullah and the Israel Defense Forces within the UNIFIL area of operations continue, with fatalities reported on each side.
Additionally, this morning, peacekeepers reported that one of UNIFIL’s patrols that was resupplying a UN position in Sector East observed an impact less than 50 metres from its location. The patrol returned safely to its location of origin, and no injuries were reported. UNIFIL continues to reiterate the importance of ensuring the safety and security of peacekeepers and reminds all actors of their obligations in that regard.Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=18%20October%202024
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MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: 149TH ASSEMBLY OF INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION (IPU) CONCLUDES
Source: Government of India
149TH ASSEMBLY OF INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION (IPU) CONCLUDES
LOK SABHA SPEAKER SH. OM BIRLA HIGHLIGHTS INDIA’S PIVOTAL ROLE IN GLOBAL DIALOGUE AIMED AT ADDRESSING COMMON GLOBAL CHALLENGESSH. BIRLA HOLDS SEVERAL BILATERAL MEETINGS WITH COUNTERPARTS FROM PARLIAMENTS FROM ACROSS THE WORLD
JAMAICA BECOMES 181ST MEMBER OF IPU
150TH ASSEMBLY OF IPU TO BE HELD IN TASHKENT FROM 5-9 APRIL, 2025
Posted On: 18 OCT 2024 7:24PM by PIB Delhi
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla led a Parliamentary Delegation (IPD) to the 149th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Geneva which was held from 13th October to 17th October 2024.
The Delegation comprised of Shri Harivansh, Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha; Shri Bhartruhari Mahtab, MP; Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, MP; Shri Rajeev Shukla, MP; Shri Vishnu Dayal Ram, MP; Smt. Aparajita Sarangi, MP; Dr. Sasmit Patra, MP; Smt. Mamata Mohanta, MP; Shri Utpal Kumar Singh, Secretary – General, Lok Sabha and Shri P. C. Mody, Secretary – General, Rajya Sabha.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla arrives in Geneva on 13 October, 2024 to participate in the 149th Assembly of IPU
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla attending the 149th Assembly of IPU on 14 October, 2024
Rajya Sabha MP, Shri Rajiv Shukla participating in the Inter-Parliamentary Union General Assembly 2024 with Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla on 14 October 2024.
Lok Sabha MP, Smt. Aprajita Sarangi participating in the Governing Council Meeting of Inter-Parliamentary Union with Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla and Dy. Chairman, Rajya Sabha Shri Harivansh in Geneva on 14 October 2024.
Addressing the Assembly on the theme “Harnessing science, technology and innovation for a more peaceful and sustainable future”, Shri Birla highlighted India’s commitment to multilateralism and the importance of parliamentary dialogue in advancing global challenges. He emphasized the need for equitable distribution of the benefits derived from science and technology, advocating for collaborative efforts among Parliaments to achieve inclusive development. Shri Birla underscored the convergence of technological advancements and innovative approaches to build a resilient future.
He noted that the Assembly not only underscores the strength of India’s parliamentary diplomacy but also highlights India’s pivotal role in global dialogue aimed at addressing common global challenges.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla addressing the 149th Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Geneva on the theme “Harnessing science, technology and innovation for a more peaceful and sustainable future.” on 14 October, 2024
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla addressing the 149th Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Geneva on the theme “Harnessing science, technology and innovation for a more peaceful and sustainable future.” on 14 October, 2024
Speaking about climate change Shri Birla referenced the “One Sun, One World, One Grid” initiative launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He pointed out India’s significant increase in renewable energy capacity and the various initiatives aimed at addressing climate issues. Highlighting India’s support for innovation through the Start-up India program, Shri Birla noted the India’s position as the third-largest start-up ecosystem globally.
With 118 Unicorns, with valuation of more than US $ 355 billion, India had become the third largest start-up nation in the world, he added. Referring to India’s unprecedented use of technology for delivery of public services, he illustrated how digitisation of financial services and financial inclusion through JAM Trinity of Jan Dhan, Aadhar and Mobile financial benefits of 2 trillion 495 bllion INR had been transferred through DBT-Direct Benefit Transfer to the bank accounts of beneficiaries under 314 public welfare schemes, ensuring transparency and accountability in governance.
He called for a robust regulatory framework to protect citizens’ data and ensure responsible use of technology. Shri Birla concluded by mentioning India’s recent legislative efforts related to technology and environment, showcasing advancements like Digital Sansad, which has enhanced efficiency and transparency in governance.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla addressing the149th Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Geneva on the theme “Harnessing science, technology and innovation for a more peaceful and sustainable future.” on 14 October, 2024
Shri Birla also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from parliaments of other countries, such as Oman, Algeria, Seychelles, Nepal, Switzerland, Thailand, Armenia and Maldives etc. He also addressed the Indian Diaspora in Geneva.
The Indian delegation engaged in various Committee Meetings and Sessions during the Assembly.
The Assembly adopted a resolution on the emergency item titled “Response by Parliamentarians to the urgent plea by the UN Secretary-General to recommit to multilateralism for global peace, justice, and sustainability.”
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla held a bilateral meeting with Speaker of the Consultative Assembly of Oman State Council H.E. Khalid Al Mawali, on the sidelines of 149th IPU Assembly on 14 October 2024
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla held a bilateral meeting with Speaker of the Consultative Assembly of Oman State Council H.E. Khalid Al Mawali, on the sidelines of 149th IPU Assembly on 14 October 2024.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla met His Excellency Mr. Roger Mancienne, Speaker, Seychelles` National Assembly on the sidelines of IPU149 on 14 October, 2024.
It is noteworthy that the reports from the four Standing Committees of the IPU—namely, those addressing Peace and International Security, Sustainable Development, Democracy and Human Rights, and United Nations Affairs—were also adopted. Members of the IPD participated actively in the discussions surrounding these reports.
Particularly commendable was the approval by the IPU’s Governing Council of Indian candidates—Smt. Bijuli Kalita Medhi, MP (Working Group on Science and Technology), Dr. Lata Wankhede, MP (IPU High-Level Advisory Group on Counter Terrorism and Violent Extremism), and Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, MP (IPU Standing Committee on UN Affairs)—who were endorsed by the Asia-Pacific Group.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla met His Excellency Mr. Roger Mancienne, Speaker, Seychelles` National Assembly on the sidelines of IPU149 on 14 October, 2024.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla met Namibia`s National Assembly Speaker, H.E. Peter Katjavivi on the sidelines of IPU149 in Geneva on 14 October, 2024.
The resolution addressing “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Democracy, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law,” co-drafted by Dr. Sasmit Patra, MP, was adopted by the IPU. Dr. Patra was also chosen to serve as one of the three rapporteurs for a forthcoming resolution on “Recognizing and Supporting the Victims of Illegal International Adoption and Taking Measures to prevent this Practice.” This resolution will be discussed at the 150th IPU Assembly, with a presentation scheduled for the 151st Assembly.
Smt. Aparajita Sarangi, MP, and Vice President of the IPU Executive Committee, attended the Executive Committee sessions, which endorsed amendments to the IPU Statutes and Rules, a Charter on the Ethics of Science and Technology, and revisions to the rules governing the Cremer-Passey Prize.
Shri Bhartruhari Mahtab, MP, participated in a meeting of the Bureau of the IPU Standing Committee on Peace and International Security, where he shared India’s perspectives on current challenges to global peace and security.
Shri Vishnu Dayal Ram, MP, presented an overview of India’s recent activities in Sustainable Development during the Bureau Meeting of the IPU’s Standing Committee on Sustainable Development.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla met Hon`ble Mr. Lungten Dorji, Speaker, Bhutan National Assembly during IPU149 in Geneva on 14 October, 2024
Smt. Mamata Mohanta, MP, took part in meetings of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians and the IPU Governing Council. Shri Rajiv Shukla, MP, attended a workshop on practical tools for achieving sustainable development, as well as a panel discussion on common principles for support to parliaments, focusing on parliamentary development as a defense against democratic backsliding.
Secretary General Lok Sabha addressed the delegates at the meeting of the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP) on 16 October 2024.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla addressing members of the Indian Diaspora in Geneva on 14 October, 2024
Addressing the Indian diaspora, Sh. Birla praised their skill, talent, and commitment. Recognizing their potential as the nation’s strongest brand ambassadors and noting their ability to foster familial relationships and harmony wherever they reside, Shri Birla emphasized the values of diversity and inclusiveness that define the Indian community. He highlighted India’s leadership in confronting global challenges, attributing this confidence to both strong leadership and the power of its citizens and Diaspora.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla addressing members of the Indian Diaspora in Geneva on 14 October, 2024
He added that Indo-Swiss collaboration has flourished in areas including trade, investment, technology, education, and the environment. Speaking about the economic ties between India and Switzerland, Shri Birla observed that the signing of the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement between EFTA countries, including India and Switzerland, is a significant step toward mutual economic development and job creation.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla addressing members of the Indian Diaspora in Geneva on 14 October, 2024
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla with Speaker of the Consultative Assembly of Oman State Council H.E. Khalid Al Mawali, on the sidelines of 149th IPU Assembly on 14 October 2024.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla met with Speaker of House of Representatives of Australia H.E. Mr. Milton Dick, on the sidelines of 149th Assembly of Inter Parliamentary Union on 15 October 2024.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla met with Speaker of House of Representatives of Australia H.E. Mr. Milton Dick, on the sidelines of 149th Assembly of Inter Parliamentary Union on 15 October 2024
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla met with Speaker of National Assembly of Zimbabwe H.E. Mr. Jacob Mudenda, on the sidelines of 149th Assembly of the Inter Parliamentary Union on 15 October 2024
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla met with Speaker of National Assembly of Zimbabwe H.E. Mr. Jacob Mudenda, on the sidelines of 149th Assembly of the Inter Parliamentary Union on 15 October 2024
On the sidelines of the 149th Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Geneva, Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla met the President of the IPU H.E. Ms. Tulia Ackson on 15 October, 2024
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla and Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri Harivansh with the President of the IPU H.E. Ms. Tulia Ackson in Geneva on 15 October, 2024.
Lok Sabha Speaker met H.E. Mr. Eric NUSSBAUMER, President of the National Council, Switzerland, on the sidelines of the 149th Assembly of IPU in Geneva on 15 October, 2024.
Lok Sabha Speaker met H.E. Mr. Eric NUSSBAUMER, President of the National Council, Switzerland, on the sidelines of the 149th Assembly of IPU in Geneva on 15 October, 2024.
Lok Sabha Speaker met H.E. Mr. Eric NUSSBAUMER, President of the National Council, Switzerland, on the sidelines of the 149th Assembly of IPU in Geneva on 15 October, 2024.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla met H.E. Mr. Mongkol Surasajja, President of the Senate of Thailand on the sidelines of the 149th Assembly of IPU in Geneva on 15 October 2024
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla met H.E. Mr. Alen Simonyan, President of Armenia`s National Assembly, at the 149th IPU Assembly in Geneva on 15 October, 2024.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla met Speaker, People`s Majlis of Maldives, H.E. Mr. Abdul Raheem Abdulla on the sidelines of the 149th IPU Assembly in Geneva on 15 October, 2024.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla met Speaker, People`s Majlis of Maldives, H.E. Mr. Abdul Raheem Abdulla on the sidelines of the 149th IPU Assembly in Geneva on 15 October, 2024
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla met H.E. Shri Narayan Prasad Dahal, Chairperson of National Assembly of Nepal on the sidelines of the 149th Assembly of IPU in Geneva on 15 October, 2024.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at his statue in Geneva on 16 October, 2024, during his visit to the city for the 149th Assembly of IPU.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at his statue in Geneva on 16 October, 2024, during his visit to the city for the 149th Assembly of IPU.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla participating in the Governing Council meeting of IPU on the concluding day of its 149th Assembly on 17 October, 2024.
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla during an interaction with President of the National People’s Assembly, H.E. Mr. Ibrahim Boughali on the sidelines of 149th Assembly of IPU in Geneva on 16 and 17 October, 2024
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla met President of the National People`s Assembly, H.E. Mr. Ibrahim Boughali on the sidelines of 149th Assembly of IPU in Geneva on 16-17 October 2024
The IPU has 180 member parliaments and 15 associate members. Members include parliaments from large countries like China, India, and Indonesia, as well as smaller countries like Cabo Verde, San Marino, and Palau.
Jamaica became the 181st member of the IPU during the Assembly. The next Assembly will be hosted by Uzbekistan, which has invited all member parliaments of the IPU to the 150th Assembly in Tashkent, scheduled for April 5-9, 2025.
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AM
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MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: PRESIDENT OF INDIA MEETS PRESIDENT OF MALAWI; LEADS DELEGATION LEVEL-TALKS
Source: Government of India (2)
PRESIDENT OF INDIA MEETS PRESIDENT OF MALAWI; LEADS DELEGATION LEVEL-TALKS
WITNESSES SIGNING OF MoUs ON ARTS & CULTURE, YOUTH MATTERS, SPORTS AND PHARMACEUTICAL COOPERATIONADDRESSED INDIAN COMMUNITY IN MALAWI YESTERDAY
Posted On: 18 OCT 2024 7:46PM by PIB Delhi
On the second day (October 18, 2024) of her visit to Malawi, the President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, visited the State House, Lilongwe where she was warmly received by H.E. Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, the President of the Republic of Malawi. Both leaders held productive discussions on a wide range of issues to further deepen the India-Malawi relationship.
The President witnessed the signing of MoUs on Arts & Culture, Youth Matters, Sports and Pharmaceutical cooperation. She also witnessed the symbolic handing over of 1000 MT of rice as humanitarian assistance from India to Malawi and the handing over of the Bhabhatron cancer treating machine to Malawi. She announced the Government of India’s support in setting up of a permanent Artificial Limb Fitment Centre (Jaipur Foot) in Malawi.
Earlier this morning, the President visited the National War Memorial in Lilongwe and paid floral tribute to the soldiers and civilians who laid down their lives during the First and Second World Wars and other military operations. She also laid a wreath at the Kamuzu Mausoleum – the resting place of the first President of Malawi Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda.
Yesterday evening (October 17, 2024), the President addressed the members of the Indian Community in Malawi at a Reception hosted by the High Commissioner of India to Malawi.
Speaking on the occasion, the President said that India values its partnership with Africa based on the principles of mutual trust, equality, and mutual benefit. The main pillars of our cooperation are development partnership, capacity building, trade and economic cooperation, defence and security, and people-to-people contacts. Each pillar is important to India-Africa relations.
The President said that India had played an important role in making the African Union a permanent member of the G20 organization. As a leading member of the Global South, India would continue to share its experiences and capabilities with countries of the Global South.
The President said that our diaspora is an integral part of the transformational journey of India. She urged the members of the Indian community to join this journey and take forward the development agenda of India.
Tomorrow (October 19, 2024), the President will perform Arati and Puja at Shree Radha Krishna Mandir in Lilongwe as well as visit Lake Malawi before leaving for New Delhi on the completion of three-nation State visits to Algeria, Mauritania and Malawi.
Please click here to see the President’s Speech –
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MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: INDIAN NAVY’S MOTORCYCLE EXPEDITION FLAGGED OFF
Source: Government of India (2)
Posted On: 18 OCT 2024 8:09PM by PIB Delhi
Vice Adm Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command flagged off a Motorcycle Expedition ‘Northeast Odyssey’ today from Shillong, Meghalaya in attendance of Lt Gen Sanjay Malik, GOC, 101 Area and Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia, SASO, Eastern Air Command.
The expedition is being undertaken in association with TVS Motor Company in the Northeastern States of Meghalaya, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh with the aim of enhancing awareness about the Navy in these vibrant states and to engage with the youth and civil society. The Navy has previously made similar successful efforts in the Northeast in 2022 and in Leh/ Ladakh in 2023.
The main objectives of the current initiative in the three North Eastern States include showcasing Indian Navy and conducting Awareness Drives at Schools/ Colleges about the career opportunities in Indian Navy, including the Agnipath Scheme. This drive upholds Nari Shakti, by including Women Officers and spouses, and also aims at interaction with Naval Veterans and Veer Naris in the region. The 15-day expedition would cover a distance of 2500 kms, passing through various cities in the states of Meghalaya, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
In his address at the flag off ceremony, Vice Adm Rajesh Pendharkar, stated that the Navy has always been promoting adventure activities as these not only serve to inspire personnel to aim higher and achieve better, but also supports team building and strengthens camaraderie, which are crucial for efficient performance at sea. He congratulated the Riders for undertaking an expedition aimed at enhancing maritime consciousness and awareness about the Navy in an important part of the country that is distant from the seas but close to everyone’s hearts. He wished all participants a safe and memorable ride and also thanked TVS Motors for partnering with the Navy for an important cause.
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VM/SKY 214/24
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MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: ITU-WTSA 2024 organises ‘Safe Listening Workshop’ to advocate the responsible use of technology
Source: Government of India (2)
ITU-WTSA 2024 organises ‘Safe Listening Workshop’ to advocate the responsible use of technology
Over a billion young people worldwide are at risk of avoidable hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices: WHOPosted On: 18 OCT 2024 8:00PM by PIB Delhi
ITU-WTSA 2024 which is being held in New Delhi hosted a joint ITU-WHO Workshop on Safe Listening, addressing the urgent global public health crisis of hearing loss, and the dangers posed by unsafe listening practices. With the statistics showing over 1 billion young people at risk of hearing loss due to unsafe listening, the workshop underscored the importance of collective action in ensuring that safe listening practices become a global norm. In response to this growing public health problem, WHO launched the Make Listening Safe initiative in 2015, with the aim of preventing hearing loss through hearing conservation.
The inaugural session was attended by Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, India, Dr. P. Payden, Deputy Head, WHO country Office, India and Hemendra Kumar Sharma, Deputy Director General (Media) & Spokesperson, Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, India. Renowned musician Ricky Kej moderated the session.
Speaking at the workshop, Ms. Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs said “It is important for policy makers and regulators to develop standards not only for manufacturers but also for users and services. There should be education & training for tracking sound exposure, on the lines of tracking other health parameters like calorie intake & footsteps.” She further highlighted Indian cultural practices which are aligned towards this cause and said “In our culture, there’s a festival ‘Mauni Amavasya’, in which one is supposed to keep quiet & fast. Perhaps, relishing the sound of silence. I think that is extremely therapeutic and we must realise that together, we can create a difference for not only India, but for the world at large.”
P. Payden, Deputy Head, WHO country Office, India, said “The cascading consequences of hearing loss translates into millions facing communication challenges, diminished quality of life, and potential impact on professional development/education. Besides, noise-induced hearing loss in children can impair language acquisition, leading to learning disabilities and increased anxiety. Untreated hearing loss can lead to isolation, depression, and cognitive decline. However, she also emphasized that there is good news as well, and noise-induced hearing loss is preventable by adopting safe listening habits. She further mentioned that the global ITU standard for safe listening devices and systems provides a framework for incorporating features into personal audio devices, such as acoustic symmetry which monitors a sound allowance for a given period. Features that give a warning when users reach 100% of their weekly sound allowance.
She concluded by saying “WHO is committed to promoting safe listening practices through research. Dissemination of evidence-based guidance and collaborating with stakeholders to create safe listening. Hearing loss is irreversible, but it’s preventable.”
Addressing the stakeholders, Hemendra K Sharma, Dy Director General & Spokesperson, DoT said that over 5% of the world’s population require rehabilitation for disabling hearing loss, including 34 million children and that, it requires two pronged approach of having right regulation and plenty of awareness. He informed the audiences about the DoT’s Sanchar Mitras, the student volunteers, who are creating awareness of citizen centric services of department. 30 such Sanchar Mitras from across the country were participating in the workshop and were urged by Sharma to take the message of safe listening practices to citizens.
A detailed presentation on the subject was given by ITU and WHO. Simao Campos, Counsellor,ITU-T spoke about the relevance of standardization to drive change in the health sector including hearing health. He outlined how behaviour change can be motivated through implementation of standards and regulation. Dr Shelly Chadha, Technical Lead, Ear and Hearing Care, WHO spoke about the Global Standards for Safe Listening and other WHO efforts to make listening safe. She outlined WHO’s philosophy on safe listening, what the standard is about, how it can be implemented.
A panel discussion was also held on implementing the ‘Safe listening Standard: Motivations and Challenges brought together representatives from standardization organizations, private sector entities, governments, and users. The panellist included Mr Masahito Kawamori, Keio University (Japan), Mr Karl Brookes, Sony (UK), Dr Kapil Sikka, AIIMS Delhi (India). The panel explored various aspects, including potential pitfalls and solutions for compliance, and actions to promote safe listening practices. Special focus was on implementing these standards, highlighting the unique challenges and rationales. The discussion also delved into the user perspective, emphasizing the benefits, challenges, and overall impact of safe listening. Mahima Sharma and Sanchar Mitra, Ms S J Varshaa shared their insights, adding a fresh perspective to the conversation reminding the audience that this issue deeply affects the younger generation.
The session concluded with a call for continued global collaboration, emphasizing that coordinated efforts between governments, industry, and organizations like WHO and ITU are essential for advancing the adoption of safe listening standards.
These discussions and developments are part of the side events of the ongoing WTSA 24 & IMC24 being held in New Delhi. The event marks the beginning of a new chapter in India’s digital journey, reinforcing the country’s commitment to becoming a global leader in advanced communication technologies.
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MIL-OSI United Nations: Experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Praise Cuba’s High Percentage of Women in Parliament, Ask about Measures to Address Sex Trafficking and Reduce the Burden of Unpaid Care Work
Source: United Nations – Geneva
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today considered the ninth periodic report of Cuba, with Committee Experts praising the State’s high percentage of women in Parliament, and asking about measures to protect women and girls from sex trafficking and reduce the burden of unpaid care work on women. Committee Experts also discussed the impact that the United States’ economic blockade had on Cuban women’s rights.
A Committee Expert welcomed that Cuba currently had one of the highest rates of female participation in Parliament worldwide.
Rhoda Reddock, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Cuba, raised the issue of the economic blockade on Cuba by the United States, which she said was estimated to have cost Cuba a significant percentage of its gross domestic product. Had the State party had been able to address all the challenges that came with the blockade?
One Committee Expert said there were concerning reports of sexual abuse of girls in the tourism industry and of criminalisation of women victims of sex trafficking. When would the State party adopt a comprehensive law on trafficking with clear provisions on prevention and reparation for victims?
Another Expert said women spent twice as much time doing domestic and care work compared to men, and there had been successive cuts to social care programmes. How did the State party intend to sustain these programmes?
Introducing the report, Inés María Chapman Waugh, Deputy Prime Minister of Cuba and head of the delegation, said women accounted for 56 per cent of members of Cuba’s Parliament, the second highest percentage in the world. Around 80 per cent of judges in the judiciary were women; eight in every 10 prosecutors were women; and women made up 60 per cent of university graduates. The State also had a high representation of women in its science and technology sector, she noted.
Ms. Chapman Waugh said the United States’ financial blockage against Cuba was a flagrant violation of the rights of Cubans and it had disproportionately affected women. It had led to devastating shortages in medication, food and energy. Progress in distributing the human papilloma virus vaccine, for example, had been hampered by the blockade.
The delegation said Cuba had a zero-tolerance policy regarding all forms of trafficking. Trafficking in persons had been included as a crime in the Criminal Code, as had forced labour. The State did not criminalise women victims of trafficking. Detection and combatting systems were in place in the tourism industry.
The Government was calling for fair distribution of household and care work between men and women, the delegation said. A recent decree on the national care system provided for a more equitable approach to care. The State was training carers to provide formalised care for the aging population and raising awareness about the need for men and women to spend equal time on care duties.
In closing remarks, Ms. Chapman Waugh said Cuba valued the recommendations of the Committee, which would be scrutinised with due rigour. The Government was committed to implementing the Convention and promoting women’s rights. It would do its utmost to achieve its goals in this regard, despite the economic blockade imposed by the United States.
Ana Peláez Narváez, Committee Chair, in concluding remarks, said that the Committee commended Cuba for its efforts and called on the State party to implement the Committee’s recommendations for better implementation of the Convention for the benefit of all women and girls in the State.
The delegation of Cuba consisted of representatives from the National Assembly of People’s Power; Ministry of Justice; National Secretariat of the Federation of Cuban Women; Ministry of Education; University of Havana; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will issue the concluding observations on the report of Cuba at the end of its eighty-ninth session on 25 October. All documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage. Meeting summary releases can be found here. The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed via the UN Web TV webpage.
The Committee will next meet in public at 10 a.m. on Monday, 21 October to consider the fifth periodic report of Benin (CEDAW/C/BEN/5).
Report
The Committee has before it the ninth periodic report of Cuba (CEDAW/C/CUB/9).
Presentation of Report
INÉS MARÍA CHAPMAN WAUGH, Deputy Prime Minister of Cuba and head of the delegation, said gender equality and the eradication of all forms of violence against women were objectives that Cuba and the Committee shared. Almost 80 per cent of the Committee’s recommendations from the last review had been complied with. Cuba was steadfastly committed to complying with its obligations under the Convention.
Since 2019, Cuba had undergone a far-reaching process to strengthen its legislative framework. The 2019 Constitution promoted the right to equality and the prohibition of discrimination. Direct and indirect discrimination had been prohibited in the Criminal Code. The newly adopted Family Code defended women’s rights, permitted same-sex marriage, and set the age of marriage at 18.
The national programme for the advancement of women was implemented in 2021. It included 46 measures promoting women’s advancement and established a follow-up mechanism to ensure its implementation. Under the programme, the State party adopted polices to promote the inclusion of women in the labour market. Around 250 creches had been established to support working women.
A Cuban association for persons with disabilities had been established, and the social assistance programme provided support for the children of women with disabilities. Around one quarter of women were self-employed. The State’s unemployment rate was low, at around two per cent. Six decree laws were recently adopted that promoted the protection of women working in the private sector. The national response to the COVID-19 pandemic included benefits provided to working women and women who lost their jobs. Over 60 per cent of persons who coordinated COVID-19 vaccination development in Cuba were women.
Women accounted for 56 per cent of members of Parliament, the second highest percentage in the world. In the Supreme Court, women accounted for 53 per cent of judges, while around 80 per cent of judges in the judiciary were women. Eight in every 10 prosecutors were women. Women made up 60 per cent of university graduates. The State also had a high representation of women in its science and technology sector. Care services accounted for a high percentage of the State budget. The State party continued to work to collect cross-cutting and intersectoral data on women.
Cuba had developed robust legislation and a national action plan to tackle gender-based violence. It addressed direct and indirect violence in all settings. In 2022, the murder of women was specifically criminalised in the Criminal Code. Education measures played a key role in preventing gender-based violence in the State. In the coming days, Cuba would set up a data mechanism that would provide real-time information about violent deaths of women and girls, and a hotline for reporting violence against women. Measures would also be implemented to address the disproportionate burden of care placed on women.
The United States had been imposing a financial blockage against Cuba for several decades. This was a flagrant violation of the rights of Cubans and it had disproportionately affected women. It had led to devastating shortages in medication, food and energy. Progress in distributing the human papilloma virus vaccine, for example, had been hampered by the blockade.
The Government was working to address macho stereotypes, and support women’s access to health, education and land. Measures were implemented to support the many rural women who were engaged in low paid or unpaid work. Programmes had also been implemented to address the high prevalence of teenage pregnancies. Cuba promoted women’s bodily autonomy and allowed women to decide regarding abortion.
Seventy per cent of the people murdered in the Gaza Strip were women and girls. Ms. Chapman Waugh appealed for peace in the Middle East.
Cuba, on the basis of its international commitments and in spite of the blockade placed upon it, would continue to do its best to implement the Convention and protect the rights of all women in its territory.
Questions by a Committee Expert
RHODA REDDOCK, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Cuba, congratulated Cuba on its achievements over the years. Cuba was the first country to sign and the second to ratify the Convention, and several Cuban experts had served on the Committee. The economic blockade on Cuba by the United States had been in place since the 1960s. It was estimated to have cost Cuba a significant percentage of its gross domestic product. Cuba had also been added to the United States’ list of States that sponsored terrorism, further hindering Cuba’s access to resources. Women were worst affected by this situation. They were forced to spend most of their time working to obtain resources to support their families, and more than one million women and girls had fled the State to seek a better life.
Ms. Reddock welcomed that the State party had introduced several laws to address discrimination and violence against women. It was also promising that a National Ombudsperson’s Office had recently been established.
The death penalty remained in place for more than 20 offences. Were there plans to implement a moratorium? The July 2021 protests against increasing shortages of fuel and food were met with disproportionately violent responses by State agents. Many women protesters reportedly remained in detention. There were also reports of poor conditions for women in Cuban prisons. Were there plans to release the women protesters detained since 2021? Was there a right of appeal for detained protestors? What was the status of the National Ombudsperson? Had it received complaints from women?
Another Committee Expert welcomed efforts by the State party to disseminate the Convention and provide training for State agents on the Convention. What concrete steps had been taken to enhance women’s awareness of their rights under the Convention? How was the Committee disseminating the Convention among politicians and the judiciary? What was the national mechanism for monitoring the Committee’s recommendations? What was the position of the State party on the ratification of the Optional Protocol?
The Committee was concerned that the State party had failed to incorporate a comprehensive definition of discrimination against women in the Constitution or in State legislation. Why was this? What legislative and policy measures were in place to address intersectional discrimination against women?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said access to justice was a constitutionally recognised right for all Cubans. Men and women enjoyed the same legal status and the same rights with regard to succession. Exorbitant fees could not be charged for legal aid services. Around 700 pro-bono services were made available in 2024, the majority of which related to gender-based violence cases.
The National Ombudsperson was established in June 2023. Its role was to protect and restore the rights of marginalised people, including women, young people, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. It had received 102 complaints of violence and discrimination. Forty-eight of these cases had been resolved; the rest were being reviewed.
No authority could modify the rulings of courts or instruct judges. The judiciary’s independence met the highest international standards. The public was actively engaged in trials and rulings could be appealed.
Cuba was in favour of removing the death penalty when the conditions were favourable to do so. It had not been applied or handed down as a sanction for 20 years and had never been issued against a woman. Four crimes had been removed from the list of crimes for which the death penalty could be applied.
There were no political prisoners in Cuba. All prisoners had been sentenced for violating the law and had benefited from fair trial guarantees. In the 2021 riots, there was vandalism and public and private property was destroyed. No country would allow such actions to go unpunished. Criminal trials of persons who committed such actions were fair; rioters were prosecuted based on their actions, not their gender.
Cuba engaged in ongoing awareness raising and training on the Convention and other international human rights instruments for civil servants and the judiciary. There was also an awareness raising campaign for women and vulnerable groups. The State party worked with local media and civil society to support this work. There were also post-graduate courses in universities on women’s empowerment and gender-based violence.
The State party did not recognise the competence of any international treaty bodies to receive individual communications. This was a long-standing position of the Government and there were no plans to change it.
The State party had a follow-up mechanism to assess the implementation of the Convention and the national programme for the advancement of women. It was working to ensure that women could play their full roles in the family, the economy and society. The mechanism included representatives of all government bodies and civil society organizations.
Cuba prohibited all forms of discrimination. State legislation addressed discrimination based on sex and gender identity, amongst others. The 2019 Constitution stated that international treaties ratified by Cuba were directly applicable in the State. The State party had adopted over 400 decrees promoting gender equality. An important example was the new Family Code, which placed gender equality at its core. Members of parliament were provided with training on this legislation to ensure that they were able to apply it. The national programme against racism and discrimination also addressed intersectional forms of discrimination.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert asked about the State party’s assessment of its efforts to disseminate the Convention. The Optional Protocol put into practical effect the rights of the Convention and would be of benefit to Cuba if it were ratified.
RHODA REDDOCK, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Cuba, asked if the State party had been able to address all the challenges that came with the United States’ blockade.
Another Committee Expert shared deep concerns about the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on human rights. Businesses and multilateral actors needed to consider the impacts of overcompliance with sanctions, and States needed to act in line with their international obligations.
One Committee Expert said the Federation for Cuban Women coordinated the national programme for the advancement of women. How did the Federation mainstream gender equality across different sectors and promote the participation of women of African descent and women with disabilities in the creation of public policies? How did it assist civil society organizations in efforts to promote gender equality?
Cuba did not have a national human rights institute, but the National Ombudsperson might be a first step towards this. How many complaints had it received from women? To what extent had gender sensitivity training been provided? Did the State party plan to establish a national human rights institute in accordance with the Paris Principles?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said that specialised training on international treaties was a challenge. To address this, the State party had stepped up training of police, journalists and other stakeholders on the Convention, including in rural areas. A gender approach was gradually being implemented in university textbooks. There was a communication strategy in place to promote positive portrayals of women in the media and prevent gender stereotypes.
The State party did not recognise the competence of the treaty bodies to receive individual communications as Cuba believed that its national rights protection framework was sufficient.
The economic blockade had primarily impacted women and families. Banks did not allow Cuba to conduct many transactions, due to the State having been classified as a co-sponsor of terrorism. This had hampered efforts to invest in energy and infrastructure. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a shortage of ventilators in hospitals, and the Government was unable to acquire them due to the blockade. Twenty-five days of the blockade represented a year’s worth of financing required to acquire the basic basket of food and medical supplies for one year. Eighteen days of the blockade covered a year’s worth of investment in fuel. Thirty-six hours of the blockade represented the annual cost of education materials in the country.
Since the establishment of the Ombudsperson, it had dealt with 1,001 cases, 616 of which it had accepted for follow-up. Over 300 of these cases had been resolved. Two national workshops had been held to strengthen the capacity of Ombudsperson Office staff. The State was working to ensure that women were aware of the national programme for women’s empowerment. National and local groups provided follow-up on human rights issues affecting certain communities; these issues included racism, women’s empowerment, and the rights of persons with disabilities. In all these fora, civil society participated actively.
Among Cuban members of Parliament, there were 149 Afro descendants, representing over 30 per cent of members. Around 56 per cent of women members of Parliament were Afro descendants. The State party was working to address discrimination and racism against this group. A national observatory on racism had been established and there was a reporting line for lodging complaints of racism. A national day for Afro-Latina and Afro-Caribbean women had been established. Over 60 civil society organizations representing these women participated in celebrations of this day.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert said the Federation of Cuban Women was very strong. How did it support independent civil society organizations which did not belong to the Federation?
Another Committee Expert asked whether the State party believed that there was a need to enact temporary special measures to support young girls and older women? Were temporary special measures planned to address the phenomenon of rural to urban migration?
RHODA REDDOCK, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Cuba, commended the State party for continuing efforts to eliminate gender discrimination of women and carry out training and sensitisation programmes on gender discrimination. How effective had these programmes been? Would the State party consider establishing a multi-sectoral strategy to eliminate patriarchal stereotypes? What work on gender stereotypes had been carried out with men and boys? Schools reproduced gender ideologies. To what extent were gender studies part of the teacher training curriculum?
There were many legislative changes put in place related to gender-based violence since the last dialogue. To what extent had the implementation of this legislation been affected by the economic blockade? Were there official shelters for victims of gender-based violence and did the State party collaborate with civil society organizations that supported victims? Was there a reparations procedure for victims? Did the State party have an aversion to addressing femicide in its legislation? What was the social perception of this phenomenon?
One Committee Expert said that the State party had a zero-tolerance policy to trafficking. However, there were concerning reports of sexual abuse of girls in the tourism industry and of criminalisation of women victims of sex trafficking. When would the State party adopt a comprehensive law on trafficking with clear provisions on prevention and reparation for victims? When would it review its Penal Code to criminalise the use of services of trafficking victims? How would it prevent the revictimisation of trafficking victims? How many victims had been identified and assisted in the past year, and how many perpetrators had been prosecuted? Did the State party intend to include women’s non-governmental organizations in the process of identifying and preventing trafficking? How was the State party training officials to respond to trafficking, including online trafficking activities? What awareness raising campaigns were in place regarding trafficking? How many shelters were available for victims of trafficking and what services did they provide?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said more than four million Cubans belonged to the Federation of Cuban Women. The Federation of Cuban Women coordinated a working group on implementing the national programme on women’s empowerment, which also included civil society organizations that were not part of the Federation.
Cuba had a tradition of enacting temporary special measures when needed. For example, it had reopened children’s creches in workplaces. Measures were also being implemented to support women’s access to the basket of foodstuff and employment, and to support women and girls migrating from rural areas to cities. The Government was supporting rural women to access livelihoods to reduce their need to migrate from rural areas. There was a working group in place that addressed internal and external migration, developing policies to support migrants and manage urban development
The national education system was being reviewed in 2023 and 2024 to strengthen guidelines for teachers. Issues such as gender inequality and sexual division of labour were being incorporated in students’ education. Intergenerational meetings were held with men and boys, in which elderly men taught boys about the importance of tackling gender stereotypes.
The State party had a comprehensive legal framework and a national strategy to address gender-based violence. One of the goals of the strategy was to develop a comprehensive law on violence against women. The Criminal Code imposed severe sanctions for the crime of murder of a women motivated by gender. There were shelters for female victims of violence provided by grassroots organizations. Workshops were held to coordinate the Government and civil society’s responses to gender-based violence. Comprehensive reparations for violence could be sought through civil courts. Members of parliament had discussed but had not agreed to include the concept of “femicide” within legislation.
Cuba had a zero-tolerance policy regarding all forms of trafficking and was a State party to international instruments addressing various forms of trafficking. Trafficking in persons had been included as a crime in the Criminal Code, as had forced labour. There was a very low incidence of human trafficking in Cuba, thanks in part to the absence of significant organised crime networks. Cuba had a national action plan and a national working group addressing trafficking. The national action plan included strong measures promoting support for victims. The State did not criminalise women victims of trafficking.
State regulations prohibited sex tourism. Detection and combatting systems were in place in the tourism industry. The State party had identified a small number of foreigners in the country who were involved in facilitating child sex tourism, who were duly sentenced. Over 700 training sessions had taken place for 7,000 workers in the tourism sector on the prevention of trafficking.
Cuba had published an annual report on trafficking that contained data on cases of trafficking before the courts. There were 14 prosecutions for trafficking crimes in 2023. The State party did not criminalise prostitution but did punish pimping with severe penalties. Social workers were supporting sex workers and the State was working to eradicate the root causes of women becoming involved in prostitution.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert welcomed that Cuba currently had one of the highest rates of female participation in Parliament worldwide. However, a gender gap persisted in cabinet ministries, with only 18.5 per cent of ministerial positions being held by women. Men were concentrated in the most influential spheres of Government. How was the State party measuring the number of women in executive posts in the private sector? Was it encouraging private sector bodies to promote women’s representation? How many heads of standing committees in Parliament were women? How many women civil society organizations were there and were they affected by laws preventing access to foreign funding?
Another Committee Expert asked about circumstances in which Cuban women could lose their nationality. Could the State party strip people of their nationality? Was there a mechanism for Cuban women born abroad to regain their nationality?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said Cuba had made significant progress over the reporting period regarding the representation of women in Parliament. Three women played a key role in leadership of the Central Communist Party Committee and 46 per cent of members of this committee were women. Six provinces had female governors; 80 per cent of vice-ministerial posts were held by women; and six of the 11 standing working committees of Parliament were led by women. The State party had put in place an action plan to increase the representation of women in non-traditional sectors and in leadership positions, and to increase the number of women-owned enterprises.
Civil society organizations could receive foreign funding, but not financing for activities that subverted the constitutional order.
The Constitution regulated how citizenship was acquired. The acquisition of citizenship of other States did not lead to the revoking of Cuban citizenship. A new law on citizenship had been adopted but had not yet come into force. The law would require persons who applied to renounce Cuban nationality to hold another nationality.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert asked if there was a follow-up mechanism in place to assess the number of women in executive posts.
RHODA REDDOCK, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Cuba, said that the President could issue decisions on the removal of citizenship. Could this lead to statelessness?
One Committee Expert commended Cuba for its efforts to make the right to education free and universal and to promote women’s academic achievements. The Expert cited reports of an increased rate of teenage pregnancies in rural and remote areas, particularly for people of African descent. When would the State party start implementing a sexual education programme? How was it working around the economic blockade to support rural and Black women? How many rural and marginalised women were attending university? Did the State party have legislation and policies that addressed bullying in schools and cyber bullying? How did the State party ensure that women and men earned the same in the education sector?
Another Committee Expert said women’s labour force participation rate was relatively low, at 39 per cent. How would the State party increase this rate, particularly in the formal sector, and ensure that women in the informal sector had the same access to protections as in the formal sector? What measures were in place to address the segregation of women in the workforce and to promote the employment of women of African descent and women with disabilities? The State party had prohibited discrimination on the basis of employment. How was this being implemented? Women spent twice as much time doing domestic and care work, and there had been successive cuts to social care programmes. How did the State party intend to sustain these programmes?
How effective was legislation promoting shared parental responsibility? How was the State party working to prevent workplace sexual harassment? How many complaints of workplace harassment had been received since 2019? What were the obstacles to the State party ratifying International Labour Organization Conventions 189 and 160?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the national programme for the advancement of women included measures to assess the representation of women in construction, agriculture, mining and water resource fields, in which there were fewer women in executive posts. The ministries of transport and energy and mining had vice-ministers who were women. The Government would continue to undertake actions to incentivise women’s participation in non-traditional sectors.
Citizens needed to comply with specific requirements to renounce nationality. There needed to be serious circumstances, such as membership of an armed group that had attacked the State, for nationality to be deprived. The President authorised the deprivation of nationality.
For the current school year, the State party had incorporated comprehensive sexual education into the common compulsory syllabus at both primary and secondary levels. Students and their families had contributed to drafting a protocol to tackle violence in schools. Capacity building on responding to violence was provided through conferences and training for teachers. There was only a small number of girls who dropped out of school, but every effort was taken to encourage them to return. This had led to a decline in the dropout rate in recent years. At the secondary level, around 1,500 students with disabilities had graduated in the most recent school year. There was no gender wage gap in the educational sector.
Cuba was promoting the prevention of cyber violence. The law on social communications established that online content could not be used to discriminate against any group on any grounds. Online advertising could not employ stereotypical depictions of women. There was also legislation sanctioning online child pornography and bullying. The Criminal Code addressed criminal activities using digital spaces. In the 10 years since the last review, access to the internet in Cuba had improved significantly, despite the United States’ blockade, which affected the telecommunications industry.
The Government was calling for the fair distribution of household and care work between men and women. A recent decree on the national care system provided for a more equitable approach to care. The decree recognised that carers’ unpaid work made valuable contributions to society. The State was training carers to provide formalised care for the aging population and raising awareness about the need for men and women to spend equal time on care duties.
The Labour Code included a definition of workplace harassment. If the victim was a subordinate to the perpetrator, or if the harassment was based on gender, higher sanctions were implemented. Mechanisms for reporting harassment were in place in each workplace and complaints could also be submitted directly to the Government.
Women workers enjoyed the right to maternity leave, which had recently been extended to 15 weeks after the birth of a child. The posts of women who took maternity leave were reserved for when they returned. The Government was also encouraging sharing of parental leave between mothers and fathers. It had opened early childhood facilities across the country, increasing places in those facilities ten-fold. Workplace creches provided childcare for 5,000 children. Wage equality between men and women was established as a right within legislation.
Cuba did not believe it was currently necessary to ratify International Labour Organization Convention 160. It was a party to the main eight International Labour Organization Conventions.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert said the Committee welcomed actions taken by the State party to reduce under five mortality rates. The life expectancy in Cuba had reached 81 years, which was remarkable. The Government provided a public and free health care system. Did it cover the needs of poor and rural women? How did the State party succeed in being the first country to eradicate mother-to-child HIV and syphilis transmission? There was a high level of teenage pregnancy in Cuba. What measures were in place to provide affordable contraception to women and girls who needed it? How was the State party reducing post-partum complications and ensuring the availability of family doctors in rural and remote areas?
Another Committee Expert noted that there were multiple initiatives to promote women’s access to employment in fields such as agriculture. The Government had promoted 20 affirmative actions in the rural sector to advance the empowerment of women. What resources were available to women to succeed in business initiatives? Were there opportunities for women to participate in the blue economy? A law on the transfer of agricultural land had recently been enacted; how had it assisted rural women to access land? To what extent had Cuba provided loans and credit for women? Were there plans to improve data on women’s access to credit?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said that in 2023, there were around 27,500 general practitioners in the State party. Priority was attached to providing health services in rural areas.
The State party needed to continue to increase the percentage of women in agriculture and the percentage of women landowners. The Government was supporting women to access bank loans. It planned to collect data on recipients of bank loans, disaggregated by sex and ethnicity.
Cuba had managed to keep prevalence rates of HIV at the lowest rates in Latin America through prophylaxis measures implemented with the support of the World Health Organization. There were several programmes in place for the prevention and monitoring of sexually transmitted infections.
Questions by Committee Experts
RHODA REDDOCK, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Cuba, said that only 10 per cent of the agricultural land distributed by the Government had been distributed to women. What factors were affecting women’s involvement in agriculture and their access to land?
Another Committee Expert said that there were restrictions on people changing residence, particularly affecting women in the eastern part of the island. Institutions had been authorised to find and deport people to their places of origin. How would the State party guarantee the right to internal migration?
Women deprived of liberty reportedly faced violence from staff and inmates. How did the State party work with civil society to oversee prisons? Was prenatal care provided to pregnant women in prisons?
How was the State party providing elderly women with basic care, food and services? What steps had been taken to ensure substantive equality for women of African descent? What services were provided for women with disabilities in rural areas? How was the State party promoting the right to identity for lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women?
One Committee Expert said that the economic blockade on Cuba was a flagrant violation of the rights of Cubans, damaging their rights to food, education, health and other areas. The Expert commended legislation that increased the age of marriage to 18. How did the State party plan to address de facto unions with children? How many criminal cases related to child marriage had there been in the last four years?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the gender observatory was compiling data on women who owned land and worked in agriculture. The Government was working to support more rural women to gain access to land, State services and economic empowerment.
The national health system had 53 different services for older persons delivered at the community level. Cuba continued to promote access to services, cultural spaces and employment for persons with disabilities. The State party was taking steps to ensure that Afro descendant women played their full role by supporting access to education and breaking down stereotypes.
The treatment of detainees in Cuba was in line with the Mandela and Bangkok Rules. The right to free medical care was provided in places of detention, along with recreational activities. Women prisoners received differentiated treatment. Support and care for children staying in prisons with their mothers was provided.
The Family Code recognised same-sex marriage and assisted reproduction. There had been 85 same-sex marriages between women in the last year. The State party was providing care and support for trans women. Campaigns to tackle homophobia and transphobia were being rolled out across the country.
Concluding Remarks
INÉS MARÍA CHAPMAN WAUGH, Deputy Prime Minister of Cuba and head of the delegation, thanked the Committee for the constructive dialogue. Cuba valued the recommendations of the Committee, which would be scrutinised with due rigour. The Government was committed to implementing the Convention and promoting women’s rights. It would do its utmost to achieve its goals in this regard, despite the economic blockade imposed by the United States.
ANA PELÁEZ NARVÁEZ, Committee Chair, said that the Committee commended Cuba for its efforts and called on the State party to implement the Committee’s recommendations for better implementation of the Convention for the benefit of all women and girls in the State.
Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media;
not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.CEDAW24.030E
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MIL-OSI Economics: Verizon to offer new iPad Mini
Source: Verizon
Headline: Verizon to offer new iPad Mini
NEW YORK – Verizon will offer the new iPad mini that is built for Apple Intelligence1, is more capable and versatile than ever with the powerful A17 Pro chip and offers support for Apple Pencil Pro. iPad mini delivers incredible value and the full iPad experience in an ultraportable design. Customers can pre-order the new iPad mini today, with availability beginning Wednesday, October 23. For complete pricing and availability details, please visit verizon.com.
The new iPad mini is supercharged by the A17 Pro chip and Apple Intelligence, the easy-to-use personal intelligence system that understands personal context to deliver intelligence that is helpful and relevant while protecting user privacy. With a beloved ultraportable design, the new iPad mini is available in four gorgeous finishes, including a new blue and purple, and features the brilliant 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display. A17 Pro delivers a huge performance boost for even the most demanding tasks, with a faster CPU and GPU, a 2x faster Neural Engine than the previous-generation iPad mini2, and support for Apple Intelligence. The versatility and advanced capabilities of the new iPad mini are taken to a whole new level with support for Apple Pencil Pro, opening up entirely new ways to be even more productive and creative. The 12MP wide back camera supports Smart HDR 4 for natural-looking photos with increased dynamic range, and uses machine learning to detect and scan documents right in the Camera app. The new iPad mini also features all-day battery life and brand-new experiences with iPadOS 18.
Cellular models of the new iPad mini are activated with an eSIM, a more secure alternative to a physical SIM card. With eSIM, users can quickly activate their cellular plan, store multiple cellular plans on the same device, and stay connected. With the portable design of iPad mini, users can conveniently stay connected with eSIM wherever they go. The new iPad mini supports Wi-Fi 6E, which delivers up to twice the performance than the previous generation3, so users can download files, play games online, and stream movies even faster.
Apple Pencil Pro unlocks magical capabilities and powerful interactions, turning iPad mini into a sketchbook users can take anywhere. Apple Pencil Pro can sense a user’s squeeze, bringing up a tool palette to quickly switch tools, line weights, and colors, all without interrupting the creative process. A custom haptic engine delivers a light tap that provides confirmation when users squeeze, double-tap, or snap to a Smart Shape for a remarkably intuitive experience. Users can roll Apple Pencil Pro for precise control of the tool they’re using. Rotating the barrel changes the orientation of shaped pen and brush tools, just like pen and paper, and with Apple Pencil hover, users can visualize the exact orientation of a tool before making a mark. Apple Pencil Pro features support for Find My, and pairs, charges, and is stored through a new magnetic interface on the new iPad mini. iPad mini also supports Apple Pencil (USB-C), ideal for note taking, sketching, annotating, journaling, and more, at a great value.
For more details on pricing and plans visit verizon.com.
For more details on Apple products, please visit apple.com.
1 Apple Intelligence will be available as a free software update for iPad with A17 Pro or M1 and later with device and Siri language set to U.S. English. The first set of features will be available in beta this month with iPadOS 18.1 with more features rolling out in the months to come. Later this year, Apple Intelligence will add support for localized English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the U.K. In the coming year, Apple Intelligence will expand to more languages, like Chinese, English (India), English (Singapore), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese, and others.
2 Testing conducted by Apple in September 2024 using preproduction iPad mini (A17 Pro) and production iPad mini (6th generation) units. Tested with Affinity Photo 2 v2.5.5.2636 using the built-in benchmark version 25000. Performance tests are conducted using specific iPad units and reflect the approximate performance of iPad mini.
3 Wi-Fi 6E available in countries and regions where supported.
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MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Executive Board Completes the First Review under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) Arrangement for Ethiopia
Source: IMF – News in Russian
October 18, 2024
- The IMF Board completed the first review under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) for Ethiopia, allowing the authorities to draw the equivalent of about US$340.7 million (SDR 255.6 million). The ECF was approved by IMF Board in July 2024 and forms part of a US$10.7 billion support package from development partners and creditors for Ethiopia.
- The Ethiopian authorities have shown strong commitment to their homegrown economic reform program. Implementation of ECF-supported reforms is advancing well.
Washington, DC: The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed today the first review of the 48-month Extended Credit Facility (ECF) for Ethiopia. The Board’s decision allows for an immediate disbursement of about US$340.7 million (SDR 255.6 million), which will help Ethiopia meet its balance of payments needs. The completion of the review brings total disbursements under the arrangement to about US$1.363 billion.
Ethiopia’s ECF arrangement for a total of SDR 2.556 billion (850 percent of quota) or about US$3.4 billion at the time of program approval on July 29, 2024 (see Press Release 24/291) is aimed at supporting the authorities’ Homegrown Economic Reform Agenda (HGER) to address macroeconomic imbalances and lay the foundations for private sector led growth.
All quantitative performance criteria and four out of five structural benchmarks for the first review have been met. The emergency liquidity assistance framework has been finalized prior to Board approval with a slight delay from end-September target date.
The implementation of the authorities’ economic program, including the transition to the new exchange rate regime, has been commendable. The spread between the formal and parallel market exchange rates has narrowed to low levels, with little sign of disruption to the broader economy. The supply of foreign exchange is picking up, helping alleviate acute foreign exchange shortages. Nonetheless, some unmet foreign exchange demand persists as economic agents are still adjusting to the new FX regime.
Steady implementation of the HGER reform plan will be key to macroeconomic stability and stronger economic growth. Continued tight monetary policy and elimination of monetary financing of the government will be key to durably reducing inflation. Expanding social safety nets is critical to mitigating the impact of reforms on vulnerable people. Maintaining momentum on domestic revenue mobilization and structural reforms in the SOE sector is essential to creating sufficient space for social and developmental capital spending.
The authorities continue their efforts to restore debt sustainability. Financing assurances and adjustment efforts are consistent with IMF policy requirements and program parameters.
Following the Executive Board discussion, Mr. Bo Li, Deputy Managing Director and Chairman of the Board, made the following statement:
“Ethiopia’s program under the ECF has made a solid start, and the transition to a more flexible exchange rate has progressed well. Transitional one-off arrangements to address the foreign exchange (FX) backlog from past fuel imports are in place, relying principally on market participants with an additional contribution from the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE). As economic agents adjust to the new FX regime, reform momentum and clear communication will need to continue to ensure a fully successful and sustained switch to a floating exchange rate.
“Continuing to restrict NBE’s FX interventions and additional policy measures to support FX market development will be critical to enhance market efficiency and deepening. Prudent macroeconomic policies, including continued tight monetary policy and the elimination of monetary financing of government deficits are essential to reducing imbalances and shoring up macroeconomic stability.
“Implementation of the early stages of the authorities’ monetary policy reforms and the shift to an interest-rate based regime has been encouraging, including the steady uptake of NBE open market operations. The authorities should step up efforts to improve monetary policy transmission, including by enhancing treasury bill market functioning. Close supervision and enforcement of net open position regulations for banks will help address financial sector vulnerabilities.
“The authorities have embarked on ambitious and comprehensive tax mobilization reforms, which will be guided by the recently approved National Medium-Term Revenue Strategy. The new VAT law further streamlines exemptions, expands the revenue base, and strengthens administration and compliance framework. Sustained tax revenue mobilization reforms are critical for creating sufficient space for social and development spending needs. The authorities are implementing plans to expand the targeted social safety net (PSNP), which will deliver cost-effective and efficient support to vulnerable people and mitigate the social impact of the FX reform.
“Amendments to the law governing the NBE tabled in Parliament include important improvements to the NBE’s mandate, functions, and powers. Robust lender-of-last resort provisions and legal safeguards to central bank autonomy and governance will also be important.
Continued steps to secure debt treatment is crucial to restore debt sustainability. The progress made on debt restructuring negotiations under the Common Framework is welcome. The authorities are working to reach an agreement on debt treatment with official creditors by the time of the second program review. Negotiations with commercial creditors should follow on comparable terms. The authorities plan to develop a debt management strategy with Fund technical assistance.”
Ethiopia Selected Economic Indicators, 2021/22-2028/29
2021/22
2022/23
2023/24
2024/25
2025/26
2026/27
2027/28
2028/29
Proj.
Proj.
Proj.
Proj.
Proj.
Proj.
Output
Real GDP growth (%)
6.4
7.2
6.1
6.5
7.1
7.7
8.0
7.8
Prices
Inflation – average (%)
33.9
32.5
26.6
25.0
16.7
12.2
10.4
9.6
General government finances
Revenue (% GDP)
8.1
7.9
7.5
8.4
9.8
10.9
11.3
11.5
Expenditure (% GDP)
12.7
10.8
9.9
11.5
12.4
13.4
13.7
14.0
Fiscal balance, including grants (% GDP)
-4.2
-2.6
-2.0
-1.7
-2.1
-2.0
-2.0
-2.0
Public debt (% GDP)1
48.9
40.2
34.7
43.6
39.1
36.0
33.6
31.6
Money and Credit
Broad money (% change)
27.2
26.6
14.1
28.4
28.3
30.6
22.1
21.0
Credit to private sector and state-owned enterprises (% change)
18.9
24.1
9.7
-14.3
37.9
40.1
24.2
21.1
Balance of payments
Current account (% GDP)
-4.0
-2.8
-2.4
-4.4
-3.3
-2.5
-2.1
-1.9
FDI (%GDP)
2.6
2.1
1.6
2.7
3.2
2.9
3.0
3.0
Reserves (in months of imports)
0.8
0.5
0.7
1.4
2.1
2.6
3.5
3.6
External debt (% GDP)
24.0
18.1
15.4
28.9
26.8
24.5
22.5
19.7
Exchange rate
Real effective exchange rate (% change, end of period, depreciation –)
10.1
24.0
…
…
…
…
…
…
1/Public and publicly guaranteed external debt, which includes long-term foreign liabilities of NBE and external debt of Ethio-Telecom. Does not include expected debt relief.
For digital posting, please submit press release with an editable table (no images) already inserted in Microsoft Word file to ensure that the data in the SEI table is displayed as prepared.]
IMF Communications Department
MEDIA RELATIONS
PRESS OFFICER: Tatiana Mossot
Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org
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MIL-OSI USA: ICE conducts single adult, family unit removal flights Oct. 18
Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a component agency of the Department of Homeland Security, working in close coordination across the department, including with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, continued to facilitate removal flights of single adults and family units between Oct. 14 and Oct. 18.
Those included removal flights to Brazil, Central America, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Mexico and Peru. If a noncitizen arrives and has no legal basis to remain in the United States, they are processed and removed quickly, consistent with U.S. law.
Since the Presidential Proclamation and Interim Final Rule went into effect on June 5, through the end of September, DHS has removed or returned more than 160,000 individuals to more than 145 countries, not including repatriations of people encountered at airports or the northern border. ICE ERO has operated more than 495 international repatriation flights in that period, while DHS has tripled the percentage of southwest border encounters processed for expedited removal. Overall, preliminary data show that DHS completed over 700,000 removals and returns in fiscal year 2024, more than any prior fiscal year since 2010. That included more removals to countries other than Mexico than in any prior year ever. DHS has also reduced the time it takes to remove individuals who do not establish a legal basis to remain in the United States by more than half from its historical average.
In keeping with standard practice, the United States ensures that all noncitizens without a legal basis to remain in the United States are properly screened for valid protection claims and withholding of removal in accordance with our laws and U.S. international obligations. This applies to all noncitizens, regardless of nationality, to ensure the orderly and humane processing, transfer and removal of single adults and family units.
Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings present their claims for relief or protection from removal before immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. Due to operational security reasons, ICE does not confirm or discuss future or pending transportation operations.
ICE Air Operations facilitates the transfer and removal of noncitizens, including family units, via commercial airlines and chartered flights in support of ICE field offices and other DHS initiatives. In fiscal year 2023 , ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted 142,580 removals and 62,545 Title 42 expulsions to more than 170 countries worldwide.
B-roll for removal flights is available here. DHS has made additional videos available to the public and the media, including b-roll footage of removal flights, a public service announcement and testimonials from migrants who have been removed.
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MIL-OSI Submissions: Global Bodies – IPU Assembly highlights alarming human rights violations against MPs worldwide
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)Geneva, Switzerland. Friday 18 October 2024 – As the 149th IPU Assembly concluded this week, the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians reported on its latest caseload detailing severe human rights violations faced by hundreds of MPs worldwide.
The most common violations include attacks on freedom of expression, suspension or loss of parliamentary mandate, threats, intimidation, torture, arbitrary arrest and enforced disappearance.
The IPU’s Governing Council approved several decisions presented by the Committee President, Ms. Millie Odhiambo of Kenya, urging the relevant authorities to disclose information and end the abuses.
Key cases highlighted by the Committee include:
Democratic Republic of the Congo: 18 opposition MPs face alleged violations of their political rights following the December 2023 general elections. The Committee also reported on the death of Mr. Chérubin Okende and the imprisonment of Mr. Jean Marc Kabund for criticizing the Head of State.
Guinea-Bissau: The Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Domingos Simões Pereira, was prevented from attending the 149th IPU Assembly. He and other MPs face violations, including arbitrary invalidation of mandates and restrictions on freedom of expression and movement.
Nicaragua: Delegates at the 149th IPU Assembly heard a passionate plea from Ms. Tininiska Rivera Bryan, the daughter of the missing opposition MP Mr. Brooklyn Rivera Bryan, a Miskitu indigenous leader.
She called for parliamentary solidarity and urged MPs at the Assembly to pressure the Nicaraguan authorities to find her father.
The Committee also reported on another opposition MP, Ms. Nancy Elizabeth Henríquez James who is in prison. There is concern over Ms. Henríquez’s detention and lack of medical treatment.
Pakistan: Opposition leader Mr. Imran Khan and his colleagues face ill-treatment and arbitrary detention. The Committee calls for their immediate release and respect for their rights.
Thailand: Following the dissolution of the Move Forward Party, several MPs lost their political rights for attempting to amend a lèse majesté law. The Committee calls for a review of relevant laws to align with international standards.
Tunisia: Ms. Abir Moussi and several MPs face detention and prosecution for expressing opposition to the President. The Committee calls for their release and for authorities to facilitate a mission to Tunisia.
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela: The caseload involves 135 opposition parliamentarians elected in 2015, who face alleged politically motivated persecution, criminal proceedings, arrest warrants and harassment.
The Committee also strongly condemned the fact that Ms. María Corina Machado was prevented from standing as a candidate in the presidential elections held on 28 July 2024.
Background
The IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians is the only international complaints mechanism with the specific mandate to defend the human rights of persecuted parliamentarians around the world. Its work includes mobilizing the international parliamentary community to support threatened MPs, lobbying national authorities, visiting MPs in danger and sending trial observers.
New human rights tool for MPs
Additionally, the IPU announced a new online course on freedom of expression for parliaments and their members, developed in collaboration with UNESCO. (ref. https://www.ipu.org/massive-open-online-course-freedom-expression-parliaments-and-their-members )
The IPU is the global organization of national parliaments. It was founded in 1889 as the first multilateral political organization in the world, encouraging cooperation and dialogue between all nations. Today, the IPU comprises 181 national Member Parliaments and 15 regional parliamentary bodies. It promotes peace, democracy and sustainable development. It helps parliaments become stronger, younger, greener, more innovative and gender-balanced. It also defends the human rights of parliamentarians through a dedicated committee made up of MPs from around the world.
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MIL-OSI China: China, EU, Africa seek green cooperation using bamboo instead of plastic
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
A visitor tries bamboo products on a forum on green industry cooperation in Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 17, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] BRUSSELS, Oct. 18 — A forum on green industry cooperation between China, the European Union (EU), and Africa has underscored opportunities for technological collaboration and sustainable practices, particularly the use of bamboo as an alternative to plastic.
The forum, co-hosted on Thursday by the Chinese Mission to the EU and the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization, focused on fostering joint efforts to promote ecological sustainability.
In his address, Cai Run, head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, highlighted China’s progress in green and low-carbon development, citing improvements in the country’s energy structure and an increase in forest coverage. Cai positioned China as a production hub, Europe as a consumer market, and Africa as a resource developer, emphasizing the potential for collaboration across these regions.
Erik Solheim, co-chair of the Europe-Asia Center, noted that China accounts for two-thirds of new green energy projects globally and holds 60 percent of green energy technologies, including solar, wind, and electric vehicle batteries. Solheim, who previously served as under-secretary-general of the United Nations (UN), also emphasized the potential of bamboo as a sustainable alternative to plastic, which could be instrumental in reducing global plastic waste.
Former EU Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc commended China’s commitment to bamboo research and innovation.
“China’s collaboration with African countries has led to the creation of the China-Africa Bamboo Center,” Bulc remarked, emphasizing the potential for joint efforts to promote global green development.
McArios Akanbeanab Akabong, acting head of Mission at the Embassy of Ghana in Belgium, Luxembourg, and the EU, highlighted China’s support in establishing a National Bamboo and Rattan Centre in Ghana, facilitating technological transfers that have significantly advanced the bamboo industry in the country.
Michael Braungart, a professor of sustainable development at Leuphana University in Germany, pointed to bamboo’s potential for air purification and its ability to mitigate microplastic pollution, encouraging further collaboration between Europe and China in environmental protection and economic development.
The “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic” initiative, launched by China in collaboration with the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization, aims to reduce plastic pollution and promote ecological preservation.
This photo shows bamboo products displayed during a forum on green industry cooperation in Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 17, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] People try bamboo products on a forum on green industry cooperation in Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 17, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] -
MIL-OSI United Nations: Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on the report of the Eminent Person, Mohamed Chande Othman, concerning the investigation into the conditions and circumstances resulting in the tragic death of Dag Hammarskjöld
Source: United Nations secretary general
The Secretary-General has transmitted to the President of the General Assembly the report of the Eminent Person, former Chief Justice of Tanzania, Mr. Mohamed Chande Othman, concerning the investigation into the conditions and circumstances resulting in the tragic death of Dag Hammarskjöld and of the members of the party accompanying him. The Secretary-General’s letter to the President of the General Assembly is accompanied by the Eminent Person’s report and will be publicly available as General Assembly document A/78/1006.
Dag Hammarskjöld served as Secretary-General from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in Ndola, Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia, along with 15 others, UN staff members and crew, on the night of 17/18 September 1961. The Secretary-General pays tribute to all those that died and emphasizes that their families deserve answers.
The Secretary-General is grateful to Judge Othman for his unwavering commitment to this matter and is encouraged that the body of relevant knowledge has grown with each successive mandate of the Eminent Person. He notes that significant new information has been provided to the Eminent Person during his present mandate, including in the areas of: (i) probable intercepts by Member States of relevant communications; (ii) the capacity of the armed forces of Katanga, or others, to have conducted a possible attack on flight SE-BDY; (iii) the presence in the area of foreign paramilitary and intelligence personnel; and (iv) further new information relevant to the context and surrounding events of 1961.
At this juncture, the Eminent Person assesses it to remain plausible that an external attack or threat was a cause of the crash. The Eminent Person notes that the alternative hypotheses that appear to remain available are that the crash resulted from sabotage, or unintentional human error.
The Secretary-General is encouraged by the disclosure of new information by some Member States and by some key Member States’ continued commitment to engage with the Eminent Person. He is also grateful for the cooperation and collaboration by Independent Appointees of Member States as well as individual researchers.
The Secretary-General notes that the Eminent Person considers that it is almost certain that specific, crucial and to date undisclosed information exists in the archives of Member States. The Secretary-General further notes the Eminent Person’s assessment that he has not received, to date, specific responses to his specific queries from certain Member States. The Secretary-General has personally followed up on the Eminent Person’s outstanding requests for information, and calls upon Member States to release any relevant records in their possession.
With significant progress having been made, the Secretary-General calls on all of us to renew our resolve and commitment to pursue the full truth of what happened on that fateful night in 1961.
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MIL-OSI Security: Media Invited to Attend IAEA’s First International SMR Conference, Industry Night
Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will host the International Conference on Small Modular Reactors and their Applications next week for stakeholders to discuss opportunities, challenges and enabling conditions to accelerate the development and ensure safe and secure operation of SMRs.
The conference, which is the first IAEA conference on SMRs, will take place from 21 to 25 October at IAEA headquarters in Vienna. The Conference, including Industry Night, is open to the media.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi will open the conference on 21 October at 14:00 (CET), followed by a ministerial keynote from Ghana and a high-level panel with industry and regulatory executive leaders.
Over 1000 participants from 95 countries and 17 international organizations and non-governmental organizations are registered to participate in the event.
The conference is organized into 44 technical sessions under four main topics: SMR design, technology and fuel cycle; legislative and regulatory frameworks; safety, security and safeguards; and considerations to facilitate deployment of SMRs. In addition, five plenary sessions, four side events and about 100 posters will be presented. The provisional programme is available here.
Plenary sessions will be livestreamed on the IAEA website (no login required). For further virtual access to technical sessions, please register online as an observer. Recordings will be available on the “IAEA Conference and Meetings” App available on Google Play and the iTunes Store.
Please note, side events will be livestreamed through the app. Industry Night will not be livestreamed.
IAEA experts will be available for interviews. Please send your request to press@iaea.org.
Industry Night
SMR developers will present their projects at all development stages during Industry Night, Tuesday, 22 October, 17:45 to 20:00. Organized by the IAEA and World Nuclear Association, about 20 companies will engage with participants to discuss topics related to specific designs.
Accreditation
All journalists – including those with permanent accreditation to the Vienna International Centre (VIC) – are requested to inform the IAEA Press Office of their plans to attend the conference in person. Journalists without permanent accreditation to the VIC must send copies of their passport and press ID to press@iaea.org by 12:00 CEST on Friday, 18 October.
We encourage those journalists who do not yet have permanent accreditation to request it at UNIS Vienna.
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MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Grigorenko: A friendly, open approach by officials to communicating with citizens is important
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
International Forum “Client-Centricity in Public Administration 2024”
International Forum “Client-Centricity in Public Administration 2024”
Forum “Client-centricity in public administration – 2024”
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International Forum “Client-Centricity in Public Administration 2024”
Approaches and tools for implementing the federal project “State for People” were discussed at the international forum “Client-centricity in public administration – 2024”. The event included discussions on the introduction of client-centricity principles in public administration. The federal project “State for People” is supervised by Deputy Prime Minister – Chief of Staff of the Government of Russia Dmitry Grigorenko.
“Identifying human needs, constantly improving the interaction between government bodies and citizens are important components of the entire public administration system. And here, not only the quality and convenience of government services and services that people use, but also the friendly, open approach of each employee of the departments that citizens contact, play a significant role,” commented Dmitry Grigorenko.
The forum participants discussed the importance of preparing department employees to work with citizens, their training, developing professional and personal qualities, as well as working with people’s opinions about the quality of public services.
In particular, it was noted that the federal project “State for People” involves testing government services for simplicity and accessibility. It is carried out in a network of user testing laboratories in 9 regions of Russia. In them, government services and services are tested for compliance with customer-centricity standards, and their ease of use is assessed.
Another important part of the federal project is the “life situations” services, which help people receive the full range of services necessary to solve a specific problem.
On the portals of public services and “MSP.RF” 15 “life situations” of the federal level have been launched, and by the end of 2024 it is planned to implement 34. On average, one “life situation” combines 16 services. To date, more than 1.4 million people have used the “life situations” services on the portal of public services. Also this year, 85 regions have begun to implement more than 400 “life situations”.
Experts from Brazil, South Africa, Qatar, the UAE, and Serbia took part in the panel session “International Experience of Client-Centric Transformation of Public Administration”. The experts shared their experience of implementing client-centric principles in the work of government bodies and emphasized the importance of providing public services not only in person, but also electronically.
The forum “Customer-centricity in public administration – 2024” brought together about 1.5 thousand representatives of federal and regional authorities, governors, and heads of municipalities of Russia.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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MIL-OSI Russia: BENIN: IMF Reaches Staff-Level Agreement on Fifth Review of Extended Fund and Extended Credit Facilities and the Second Review of Resilience and Sustainability Facility
Source: IMF – News in Russian
October 17, 2024
End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings after a visit to a country. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF’s Executive Board for discussion and decision.
- IMF has reached staff-level agreement with Benin on the Fifth Review of Benin’s EFF/ECF and the Second Review of the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF).
- There are signs of economic transformation in Benin, with higher value-added goods’ exports and momentum in information technology and tourism.
- The authorities recently submitted to Parliament a draft 2025 budget that targets compliance with the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) fiscal deficit norm of 3 percent of GDP, with significant increases in social spending.
Washington, DC: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team led by Constant Lonkeng visited Cotonou during October 8–17, 2024 to hold discussions on the Fifth Review of Benin’s economic program under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and the Second Review of the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) arrangement.
At the end of the mission, Mr. Lonkeng issued the following statement:
“IMF staff and Beninese authorities have reached a staff-level agreement on policies to complete the Fifth Review of Benin’s 42-month blended EFF/ECF and the Second Review of the RSF. Subject to approval by the IMF Executive Board, Benin will receive a disbursement of SDR 31.2 million (about $42 million) under the ECF and EFF arrangements and up to SDR 39.6 million (about $53 million) under the RSF arrangement, bringing the total disbursement under the EFF/ECF to SDR 431 million (about $576 million).
“There are signs of economic transformation in Benin, with higher value-added goods’ exports and momentum in information technology and tourism. Economic activity is estimated to have expanded by 6.5 percent year-over-year in the first half of this year; growth is expected to remain strong in the near-term. The balance of payments has deteriorated temporarily, due to large investments, including related to the special economic zone (SEZ). It is expected to recover gradually as the transformation of local commodities at the SEZ boosts exports.
“Program performance has been strong—all quantitative targets for end-June 2024 were met, with fiscal consolidation well underway, supported by robust tax collection.
“The authorities recently submitted to Parliament the 2025 draft budget which targets compliance with the WAEMU overall deficit norm of 3 percent of GDP. Fiscal consolidation is set to be revenue-based (drawing on the Medium-Term Revenue Strategy), with significant increases in social spending (education, health, and social protection). Updating regularly and fully operationalizing the social registry will improve the targeting of expanded social assistance programs.
“The mission discussed next steps in strengthening Benin’s anti-corruption framework further, complementing the recently operationalized anti-corruption agency, as well as mechanisms to safeguard hard-won macroeconomic gains over the political cycle.
“The authorities are advancing their climate finance agenda following the climate finance roundtable that took place in Cotonou in July. They have mainstreamed climate change in the draft 2025 budget. The mission discussed next steps in advancing water tariff reform and a fuel subsidy reform that accounts for the specificities of Benin’s local fuel market.
“The mission met with Senior Minister of Economy and Finance Wadagni, Senior Minister of Development and Government Action Bio Tchane, National Director of the BCEAO (the regional central bank) Assilamehoo, and other senior government officials. The team also met with the Head of Opposition, the Finance Commission of the National Assembly in Porto Novo, the civil society, university students, the association of women entrepreneurs and a farmers’ association, the donor community, and other stakeholders.
“The IMF team would like to thank the authorities and various stakeholders for their warm hospitality and open and constructive dialogue.”
IMF Communications Department
MEDIA RELATIONS
PRESS OFFICER: Julie Ziegler
Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org